The exhibition sheds light on why so many people chose to join the abbey in the Middle Ages and draws perspective to life in the modern world.
The light installation 'Repetition' - a large sphere of time - welcomes visitors to the modest and simple life behind the abbey walls. The light inside the rims of the sphere is in constant movement, translating a normal 24-hour rhythm into a 24-minute cycle. The repeated changes in colour illustrate sunrise to sunset and light to dark, and this sets the mood for the experiences in the additional rooms – a life of everlasting repetition and an alternation between prayer and labour.
The sounds of the canonical hours invite the visitors into the most sacred space of the abbey, where the monks meet to pray and chant. Here, thirteen vertical light pillars are suspended from the ceiling. The pillars represent a choir of twelve chanting monks led by the abbot. Here, visitors will experience the choir service performed by the monks as part of the eight daily canonical hours. As the service ends, visitors can follow the quiet footsteps of the monks leading into the scriptorium.
Here, the sound installation "Thoughts" fills the room with whispers of some of the many languages that were once spoken at the abbey. The visitor can dive into stories told by the monk, the abbot, and the lay brother, thus learning about life behind the great abbey walls.
Visitors can complete the abbey experience with a walk in the surrounding countryside. Here, they can follow the experience route "The Abbey in the Landscape", where smaller analogue installations unfold stories about the abbey life and architecture.
Yoke has developed the exhibition in collaboration with Esrum Kloster and Dark Matters.
Location: Esrum, Denmark
Photography: Yoke
