When we choose one path, at the same time we reject another that might have given us more happiness or satisfaction

My focus has been on various approaches to sustainability. Craft holds a unique position in between art and design, where the maker is able to control the production process and develop new materials, and that brings out a wide range of innovative takes on sustainable choices that I’m sure will be a source of inspiration to the more commercial design industry.

Today more than ever, we need to learn how to use nature without destroying it, something that can’t happen as long as we keep thinking of nature and culture as opposites. With Urban Nature, The Museum of Copenhagen wants to contribute to the understanding of the city as a large ecosystem, and to our shared respect for the diversity, vulnerability and power of nature. With its new exhibitions and gardens, the museum explores the significance of strengthening, protecting and integrating nature in city development, life and identity, and emphasises the importance of each individual city dweller’s personal and pleasurable interaction with urban nature

The exhibition will take shape as a filmic scenography where visitors will actively participate as protagonists, not just as passive spectators. When we do an exhibition such as this, we consider the exhibition format an artwork in itself

The Model Programme for Public Libraries has given impetus to the debate about the process of transformation in which libraries are already engaged. Libraries are changing from the librarian-run book library into a cultural meeting place and knowledge centre that takes its starting point in the needs and interests of the public and our new digital age

For far too long, whenever we had to make a case for what our future should look like, we have focused only on the rational aspect. We have not understood that the aesthetic aspect complements the rational. This means that we must find an entirely new language to talk about the value of aesthetics: a language, in which the sensuous amenity value of a tree is as important as the tree's usefulness in terms of soaking up rain water, absorbing CO2 and making our house prices soar.

For many years, the participation of Danish sailors in connection with the Normandy invasion in 1944 has been an overlooked chapter in the larger story of the Second World War. With the exhibition at the Utah Beach Museum, Denmark’s contribution to the Allies’ fight will now be shared with a large international audience. The Danish sailors put their lives at stake to help make sure that we in Europe live in freedom today. The sailors deserve to be recognised for their tremendous effort. I hope that this exhibition will be a step in that direction. And I am proud that the Danish flag will wave side by side with those of the other Allies on Normandy’s coast.

“I am really happy and proud of the program we can present to our guests this August. In this year's selection, we live up to our dogma

My ambition is to present the interrelationship of forgotten, repressed or underexposed parts of the dynamic Danish modernity. Not only in the history of architecture, but also in science, art and poetry

Architecture is for people. It sets the framework for our lives, and it affects us with its values and ideals. Therefore, we must create towns and sites where it is pleasant to live, where people can meet each other in stimulating surroundings and where the buildings are, at the same time, part of the solution to the challenges of growth, energy and migration. Moreover, we must give children and young people the opportunity to understand even better the possibilities in architecture. That is why, among many other reasons, we are initiating an educational effort to improve the architectural understanding of children and young people and to sharpen their appetite for involvement in architecture

Danish craft draws on a strong tradition, where the workshop is the setting for basic research and experimentation – and for materializing extraordinary ideas

If only you could design just one good chair in your life . . . But you simply cannot.

I am very proud to present the first program ever of our festival, and I am looking forward to welcome all of our audiences, both Danish and international. Architecture is indeed a broad field. Therefore we have designed a program that takes our audience by the hand with a kind of thematic guide which can help opening up new aspects of the architectural and cinematic fields which people would otherwise not know about. This year, we are focusing on six particular themes: Architectural Processes, Architecture and Ritual, Filmic Space and Architectural Space, Landscape and Film, Modernism and Personal Spaces

Danish design is a strong brand in South Africa – this is due, in particular, to Denmark’s long-standing focus on sustainability and durable design solutions. The African design sector is undergoing a period of great growth, but we need talented and innovative international partners. Industry does not grow in a vacuum. Therefore, we are pleased that Danish participation in Cape Town is so strong – in terms of crafts, talent management, industry development and future design solutions.

Although Denmark is often perceived as an agricultural country, industry is a very important sector in the Danish economy, employing a large number of people and having considerable influence on Danish society and culture in general. The appreciation of industrial history, as well as the tangible and intangible remains of industry, is an important heritage.

Now it has been trans-formed into a window for sea creatures to look out over the city, so you become a bit dis-turbed and think: What is this? Who is observing whom?

Craft is all about the sense of and sensibility to detail.

The city’s lively and fast-growing art scene is rightly the focus of international attention.

A 3 km route of 7000 knee-high concrete blocks collapse like domino bricks across streets, squares and through institutions

The Opera House has been central to Australian life and identity for forty years. It has also been integral to forging important links between our two countries that continue to strengthen and evolve to this day, which is why it is so appropriate that new generations of Danes play a central part in our 40th anniversary celebrations in October. Our anniversary is very much about safeguarding Jørn Utzon’s masterpiece for future generations of artists, visitors and audiences

The Trusteeship Council Chamber is an inclusive room where everyone can easily communicate. It fosters dialogue. Although we no longer meet here on trust territories, we will hold many important discussions in this Chamber. I am confident that they will further advance the values of the United Nations

It is a real honor for me to lead a Danish company as respected as the Danish National Opera into the next years of its development. It is a privilege to be able to build on the legacy of the Danish National Opera and Maestro Bellincampi

With MINDCRAFT13 we wish to show the high level of quality in the finished works, but we also wish to shed light on the ideas and influences that lead to the works. We wish to illuminate the process and convey the interesting stories

With a total of one million visitors at the six museums and a total of three million visits to the parks each year, the area is excellently suited to becoming a unique museum district where visitors can experience the best from the realms of art and nature. With this collaborative project we wish to create a museum district to match those of other cities such as Berlin and Vienna

We would like to help preserve these sites and make their significance more well-known. The Cold War is an essential source for understanding the development of Danish society after the Second World War

We would like to help preserve these sites and make their significance more well-known. The Cold War is an essential source for understanding the development of Danish society after the Second World War

The poetry and the dream of a better life in Carl-Henning Pedersen’s art send a necessary and important message to the overburdened people of our time

The purpose of going to the Hong Kong Business of Design Week is to secure a future, sustainable platform that Danish designers, architects and companies can use as a basis for successful business ventures in China and South East Asia. We have tailor- made an ambitious program that presents multiple facets of Denmark as a creative nation. Among other things, visitors will be able to see the INDEX: Award 2011 Exhibition, which presents the nominated design products and solutions from 2011. The exhibition Copenhagen Solutions focuses on creating a green growth society as an integrated part of the main exhibition, Design Society Denmark, which showcases selected design solutions from Danish society. Finally, the Danish partnership will have a strong presence in downtown Hong Kong with the establishment of The World’s Greatest Catwalk

It's one of our biggest dreams come true as organizers. It’s a huge endorsement that such a large institution has agreed to host us in their beautiful space. It fires our spirits and motivates us to pursue even more adventures abroad

Thorvaldsens Museum is an integrated total work of art with well-proportioned rooms, beautiful mosaic floors, coloured walls, ornamental friezes, stucco ceilings and unique interior details, so we have approached our task with a particular sense of reverence this year.

The craft renaissance that we are currently witnessing makes these products attractive to buyers and the press, because they are unique, handmade and – in keeping with the tradition for Danish design products – made inDenmark. In a global world where everything looks increasingly similar, and where the same products, brands and chains are found all over the world, the uniqueness that craft represents becomes a sought-after quality

Possible Greenland is an exhibition which seeks to show how architecture in its broadest meaning can contribute to the development of society in Greenland. You could say that Possible Greenland shows the vision described in all the reports written in Greenland over the past few years. We show what new housing could look like, how to rethink the airport, harbour and infrastructure of tomorrow, and what the new town cultures in Greenland could be like. All this are intended as input to a constructive debate rooted in the Greenlandic society

This project is interesting because it is based on ordinary people's creativity and imagination. Therefore It has the potential to reveal the health of a civilization by exposing its soul. Together we can try and create a cacophonous testimony of the human conditions greater purpose than power and profit.. When these great works are filtered through the body and mind, what do we end up with? Regimentation or revolution? Bigotry or innovation?

The Indian fashion creators are leaving their imprint everywhere in the international fashion world. You see Katy Perry and Oh Land in star designer Manish Arora’s playful creations, Lady Gaga in Little Shilpa’s sculptural designs and Naomi Campbell on the catwalk in Sabyasachi Mukherjee’s fantastic dresses. It’s a veritable cornucopia of spectacular and breathlessly beautiful creations that the seven Indian designers are presenting in ARKEN’s exhibition

The 13 artists have been chosen because they are outstanding. Their works revolve around among other things the city, the intimate sphere and the relations among culture, identity and living conditions in our global society. These artists are constantly interacting with the global community.India’s economic growth has spurred the development of Indian contemporary art and has helped to spread it far beyond the borders of the country in a dialogue between Indian and Western culture and artistic tradition

Europe is facing a severe economic crisis and the EU and national governments throughout Europe is searching for a solution. As part of the solution, we should turn to culture as a source of creativity, innovation and hope for the future. After having initial talks with Commissioner Vassiliou and other key players in the EU-system, I launched Team Culture 2012 in order to stimulate a European debate about the role of art and culture in society today. I am sure these examples and the discussions at the meeting will inspire and encourage all of us to new creative ways to move on

Creating a sculptural art work that will be installed in a public space is significantly different from showing it in the context of a museum. Visitors who enter a museum have already prepared themselves for a visual experience; whereas an audience outside a museum hasn’t actually asked to have an artistic experience - that is important to bear in mind when you, as an artist, are commissioned to do a public sculpture. The sculpture must communicate on all kinds of levels.

It’s some scoop to have a Grammy nominated band like The Tiger Lillies in the performance. Together we make music and visual theatre melt into one

We present a programme where we – through design, architecture, installations and performances – focus on social and involving aspects. We want to move our audience and inspire them to consider the surrounding world. With a high international standard, we present everything from growth layer and rising stars to established cutting edge artists.

It's a difficult art presenting an artist at the perfect time in their career, but I think we've succeeded in doing so with a large part of our bookings. Needless to say, we also need to present timeless artists such as The Cult, Alison Krauss and Machine Head, as well as the brand new artists, whose great career still lies ahead of them.

It has become a very experimental exhibition within the framework of a precise and structured concept. We walk the plank and highlight the competences that are present in Danish design and craft right now. We showcase some of the leading designers in Denmark with comprehensive CVs as well as younger makers with a convincing potential.

This year’s festival posters are done by graphic designer Leo Scherfig and consist of three improvisational snapshots. As such, the motive transcends the poster as a single piece of art and illustrates a new visual dimension that will meet people at this year’s festival. The idea is to add an improvisational visual dimension to selected shows during the festival in the form of vj sets, lights and video artists that will interact with – and hopefully reinforce – the musical improvisation that is essential to jazz and makes up the festival’s beating heart.

As of today it is expected that all information is available online, so through this effort we will reach a much broader audience. At the same time, the online version adds on extra value, because the vast amount of information is presented in new creative and inspiring ways. It makes unique knowledge available and shows the important contribution to literature by women writers.

It has been tremendously exciting to experience how—despite the vastly different geographic and professional backgrounds of the group members—all have been convinced that art and culture both can and ought to contribute to finding solutions to the massive societal challenges facing Europe.

The question is how we can raise awareness and revalue European cultural capital? And what responsibility do we in the cultural sector have in retaining and securing our value systems? I hope we will be able to initiate a debate about these issues.

Culture can not be seen isolated from the larger political picture. I hope that we through this project can shed a light on the many social and cultural innovative projects that take place under the radar and could serve as an inspiration at a political level.

Our talks with the group today show in all plainness that it is the diversity of the European voices and cultures that are capable of jointly shedding light on the burning social and political platforms for Europe. I am therefore very excited to see which concrete projects and answers the group will arrive at and present in Brussels in June.

Art and culture have a special ability to foster new ideas and new hope in a time of crisis. We are now embarking on a search for examples of European creativity that are making a difference in society at the moment. What can art, culture and the creative industries do right now? How can we make the most of the innovative power of art and culture to stimulate new ideas in terms of identity, community and economic growth?

We are setting a team of 12 European cultural figures coming from a diverse range of personal and professional backgrounds. We are asking this cultural elite team to both consult their national and professional networks and venture out into Europe to find great examples of art making a difference. At the same time we are asking them to write a manifesto on how the cultural sector can create new energy in the present crisis. The manifesto and the exciting examples will be presented in Brussels in June.

We need to focus and nurture our creativity, our cultural diversity, and our cultural strengths to make a better Europe – perhaps, even a better world.