Kunsthal Aarhus welcomes you to the first of three events under the theme Planetary Health. These events will in different ways and in dialogue with our exhibition programme discuss current questions about the planet's climate.

The Ocean, Past, Present and Future takes its starting point in the translation and upcoming publication of biologist Rachel Carson's book Under Havvinden (originally Under the Sea Wind) by A Mock Book (to be released just before the event). Although the book was originally published in 1941, its insights may be more relevant today than ever before.

In Under Havvinden, Carson depicts the ocean as a vast ecosystem of connected life. In the book's three chapters, she follows a sandpiper, a mackerel and an eel over the course of a year, painting a vivid portrait of the ocean’s rhythms and intricate relationships.

Rachel Carson is a writer whose voice resonates strongly in today’s urgent environmental debates. Blending scientific precision with poetic sensitivity, she offers a perspective that is both informed, critical, and deeply hopeful.

The Ocean, Past, Present and Future is organized in collaboration with A Mock Book and presented in the context of Kunsthal Aarhus’ current exhibition New Atlantics by Marie Kølbæk Iversen, which examines themes of oceanic death and climate crises.

𝟰 𝗽𝗺 – Welcome and introduction by Jacob Lillemose, A Mock Book
𝟰:𝟭𝟬 𝗽𝗺 – Reading from Under Havvinden by actor Thure Lindhardt
𝟰:𝟯𝟬 𝗽𝗺 – Lecture by Katherine Richardson, Professor, Globe Institute
𝟱 𝗽𝗺 – Lecture by Hanne Strager, Biologist and author, Andenes Whale Centre
𝟱:𝟯𝟬 𝗽𝗺 – Conversation on Rachel Carson’s relevance today with Katherine Richardson and Hanne Strager (moderated by Jacob Lillemose)
𝟲 𝗽𝗺 – Drinks

It's free to attend, but as seats are limited, registration on Billetto is required.

Thure Lindhardt is a Danish actor with an extensive career in film, TV series and theater, both nationally and internationally. He has appeared in a wide range of productions over more than two decades and is currently starring as “Jeppe” in Christian Lollikes production of Ludvig Holbergs Jeppe på Bjerget at Aarhus Theater.

Hanne Strager is a biologist specializing in whales. She is the co-founder of Andenes Whale Centre in Norway and a driving force behind the development of the upcoming museum The Whale (opening 2027). She is also the author of The Killer Whale Journals (2023) and previously served as Head of Exhibitions at the Natural History Museum of Denmark.

Katherine Richardson is a professor of biological oceanography at the Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen. Her research focuses on biological processes and biodiversity in the ocean’s upper layers. She has written numerous books and articles on climate change and has held key positions in various international councils and commissions.