Swimming off to Shanghai

By Nigel Mander




The Little Mermaid, iconic symbol of the Danish capital Copenhagen, is one of the best-known and most-photographed statues in the world. Every summer she patiently tolerates the droves of tourists who jostle to be photographed alongside her, some even clambering onto her rock to get close up and physical.

But visitors to Copenhagen from April to November next year will be in for a surprise. The Little Mermaid won't be there. Because Copenhagen City Council has voted to ship her off to Shanghai for World Expo 2010, where she will form the centrepiece of the Danish pavilion.


Controversial concept
The idea to temporarily export the capital's diminutive icon to the other side of the world was hatched by architects firm Bjarke Ingels Group and the 2+1 Ideas Agency, whose ambitious proposal for the Danish pavilion at World Expo 2010 was judged the winner of an architectural competition in September last year. No sooner had the winning entry been unveiled however, than it whipped up a whirlpool of controversy around the fairy-tale figure, with councillors at City Hall equally divided over whether to send the original or a copy.

Those in favour of Copenhagen's diminutive icon taking a trip out east pointed to the importance of sending "the real thing" to Shanghai as a gesture of cultural generosity and an invitation to cultural dialogue between Denmark and China. Opponents of the plan argued that the Little Mermaid's absence would be a huge disappointment to tourists who flock to Copenhagen from far and wide to see her. They wanted the original to stay put and a replica sent to Shanghai. With both camps garnering sizeable chunks of party political support, the scene was set for vociferous debate.


Yet this is not the first time that the Little Mermaid has found herself embroiled in a sea of troubles. During her 96 year life on the waterfront, she has on several occasions become the target of vandalism and political sabotage. She has been daubed in various hues of paint, pushed off her rock into the harbour, had her right arm cut off, and has twice been beheaded. And each time she has been lovingly restored, including the casting of a new head following the first decapitation incident in 1964 – the original head was never recovered so today's "real thing" is actually a combination of a 45 year old head on a 96 year old body.


Pulling in the crowds
But to return to the debate at City Hall. As councillors made their final pleas and prepared to cast their votes, the results of a survey of tourists by official tourism agency Wonderful Copenhagen indicated that exporting the Little Mermaid would not significantly impact tourism to the capital, since she is not exclusively the reason that tourists visit the city (although almost half those interviewed thought the idea in itself a bit strange). When put to the vote, the motion to ship the mermaid to Shanghai was carried by a convincing majority, 36 in favour to 12 against.

Copenhagen City Council's technology and environment mayor Klaus Bondam was clearly pleased with the outcome, commenting to news agency Ritzau: "Loaning out the Little Mermaid will generate a great deal of interest in the Danish pavilion at Shanghai. She will be a crowd-puller and will help us focus attention on Denmark and Copenhagen in particular. She can help us attract foreign companies and investments to our capital city."

The council's decision means that an estimated 70 million people will get the opportunity to see her at World Expo 2010, where the Danish pavilion will present a theme of Copenhagen lifestyle, complete with urban cycle paths, recreation areas, and a symbolic harbour pool with the Little Mermaid herself seated serenely in the centre. As a world-renowned icon of a city she is certain to provide an attraction that other cities like New York, Paris or London could hardly copy – imagine the cost of dismantling and shipping the Statue of Liberty, the Eiffel Tower or Nelson's Column. Being small is sometimes an advantage.


Will she be missed?
But while the Little Mermaid is away on her 8 month sojourn in the Orient, how will Copenhageners themselves feel? Will they miss the familiar presence of their famous little icon who has steadfastly sat on her harbourside rock since 1913? Next year will tell. But there is truth in the observation that city dwellers, accustomed to wending their way through environments bedecked with monuments of national pride, tend only to notice them when they are suddenly covered in scaffolding or otherwise removed from view. And there is wisdom in the old saying that absence makes the heart grow fonder. After an absence of 8 long months it will probably be no surprise to see the harbour front thronging with Copenhageners gathered to welcome their treasured Little Mermaid back again, with more than a few tears of joyful relief shed as she once again resumes her perch on the rock, to gaze wistfully out over the gently lapping waters of the harbour that is her home.