Bigger Picture: Dansk
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Bigger
Picture
You are standing in front of Bigger Picture by Benedikte Bjerre. The artwork features seven sculptural landscape elements representing places around the world where the Royal Danish Air Force has operated. Its purpose is to establish Skrydstrup as a gateway to the world and create a space for gathering and play. Bigger Picture is a sculptural translation of the experience of flying, which takes place at such great speed and altitude that the Earth’s landscapes seem nearly boundless and abstract.
It was commissioned by the Ministry of Defence Estate Agency and developed in partnership with Skrydstrup Air Base and the Danish Arts Foundation. In 2024, Bigger Picture was handed over to Haderslev Municipality and the citizens of Skrydstrup.
1 Volcano
In the shadow of Mount Etna in Sicily is Naval Air Station Sigonella. From this base, six Danish F-16 jets participated in the operation RDAF F-16 Libya Force to protect civilians during the Libyan civil war in 2011 at the request of the UN.
2 Grass
Located in the east and west of mountainous Kosovo are flat, grass-covered plains. The first time F-16 jets with Danish pilots participated in combat operations was during Operation Allied Force in the Kosovo conflict from 1996 to 1999.
3 Rock
At the foot of Arizona’s mountains in the United States is Luke Air Force Base. Here, six of Denmark’s 27 F-35 fighter jets are stationed permanently for the purpose of training and retraining Danish technicians and pilots.
4 Lake
In Lithuania, near the large Lake Rėkyva, lies the Lithuanian Air Force Air Base. From here, Danish fighter jets have sup-ported the sovereignty of the Baltic states since their entry into NATO in 2004.
5 River
The twin rivers Euphrates and Tigris flow through Syria and Iraq towards the Persian Gulf. This landscape was overflown by Danish fighter jet pilots during the Air Force’s 823 missions as part of Operation Inherent Resolve against the forces of the terrorist movement ISIL between 2014 and 2016.
6 Sand Dune
The Sahara in North Africa is the world’s largest hot desert, and part of it forms the Libyan Desert. This landscape was overflown by Danish fighter jets during missions for the operation RDAF F-16 Libya Air Force, one of the Danish Air Force’s most
intense deployments.
7 Iceberg
Greenland’s coastline stretches 44,000 km, and icebergs can be found everywhere. Search and rescue (SAR) in Greenland is a Danish responsibility. In 2014, test flights revealed that F-16 fighter jets were unsuitable for SAR missions in Greenland, as the distance between landing sites required fuel tanks so large that the aircraft couldn’t carry the sensors required to locate people in the water.
