A steam punk terrace and a stage on wheels becomes symbols of giving
In an old industrial neighborhood in Aarhus, Denmark, hidden behind a large fence is Verner Bryders Explosive Chemistry Factory. Its purpose is to create a peaceful oasis in a large city, a place where you can experience unexpected acts of giving and afterwards use it for giving something yourself.
A piece of nature in the middle of the city
Verner Bryder is a terrace. While everything in its surroundings looks more modern and rigorous or has the classic looks of a building site – Verner Bryder stands out with its picturesque placement on the banks of the stream running through Aarhus. The terrace feels like a secret space, where you feel close to the beauty and peacefullness of nature – right in the middle of Denmark second largest city..
The place is created to look like an abandoned factory from 1892 with a lavish decoration and old-fashioned aesthetic. It makes you feel like you stumbled upon and old, abandoned place, where nature has taken over, rust is colouring the old pipes and gears, and strange objects makes you wonder, what the place has been before. The abandoned feeling is part of a very conscious choice made by the creators of the place, when it was build only 5 years ago. Verner Bryder is an alternative to the hustle and bustle of it’s surroundings. It’s was imagined by a group of volunteers led by two entrepreneurial spirits and there wasn’t far for imagination to reality, and the terrace was build in only 30 days.
The terrace is one of many projects under the philosophy of Give’ism. The idea that you can make the city a better place, that doesn’t only involve trading things – money or objects, but that you also have the power to give without expecting to receive anything in return. That is why Verner Bryder is a place where everything is for free. Nothing is sold here, so if you want to enjoy the place you must bring something yourself. And remember to bring something for someone else – that is the Give’ism spirit.
As of 2020 the terrace is no longer. In the spirit of Give’ism Verner Bryder has been broken down, and reused for many other exciting projects.
Give’ism on wheels
After Verner Bryder became a success and people in the city started using it, the founding fathers wanted to spread the idea of Give’ism around the city, and not just in the industrial area. So they started building again and in collaboration with the Municipality of the city, a lot of helpful artists and carpenters, they made a house on wheels, based on the same idea as Verner Bryder – a place where you can give something to others without expecting anything in return.
Read on about The Leftside Festival.
