Annika’s muddled message
As Annika sets up a seemingly random assortment of objects around the porch swing, she insists that she has a plan for everything, even though it may not look as though she does.
As she changes into a costume for her water installation, she claims that what she is making is commentary – “maybe political”, or “something about the climate”. As a barrel fire burns behind the porch swing, Mark confirms with Annika that it’s a message about climate that she is trying to convey.
Annika surrounds the porch swing with the four classical elements: fire (the barrel fire), earth (some of the garden that she has dug up), wind (an electric fan), and water (a garden hose). She pours a large storage bin of rubber ducks out in front of the swing, claiming them to be symbolic of all wildlife that have died due to climate change. On one side of the swing, Annika places a portrait of Lasse, and on the other, she places a large stork (the same one as was used in the ‘Build a stork in the dark’ task).
Mark – dressed in a pink tutu, rainbow jacket, tartan golf hat, and 3D glasses – sits on the porch swing, holding a steering wheel, and pouring water from a novelty flamingo watering can. Annika sits next to him, wearing a walrus kigurumi (the same one later used by Petra during her attempt at the ‘Transform the lab while the lights are out’ task) 3D glasses, and the Doctor Chicken Brain hat (from Jesper’s attempt at the ‘Make the best thing to entertain a toddler’ task), pouring water out of a novelty frog watering can, and spraying water out of the garden hose. Annika turns to Mark and confidently declares “We did it!”
In the studio, Annika claims that she was referencing former Prime Minister Helle Thorning’s first speech after being elected Denmark’s first female Prime Minister in 2011, which she famously opened by saying “We did it!”. Annika also points out that there was a UN Climate Summit in 2011, so naturally, “everything is connected”. She also claims that what makes her installation iconic is that great art can be looked at for hours, and she believes hers fits that definition.
Lasse awards Annika joint third place.
(Written by Jenny R and edited by Karl Craven)
(Illustrations collected by Jenny R and adjusted by Karl Craven)
