表演場雙週刊第十三期 - 「世界文化藝術節-北歐五國」系列: 港人在北歐 The Art Venue Bi-Weekly Issue 013 - World Cultures Festival: The Nordics series – Hongkongers in Nordics (20190829)
丹麥教育就是不一樣─陳怡君
陳怡君現為亞洲藝術文獻庫館藏助理。她於香港大學修讀藝術 學系及比較文學系，在2017年參加全球本科生學術獎(The Undergraduate Awards)，並在藝術史及理論類論文中，獲 得亞洲區冠軍。畢業後，她加入夏碧泉文獻庫項目，主要負責 香港藝術文獻資料的研究、分類及數碼化。
(表演場: 表, 陳: 陳怡君)
表 : 為什麼大學時會選擇去丹麥當交換生?你修讀什麼課程?
陳 : 起初我未能決定要去哪裡當交換 生，後來留意到丹麥這個國家，有非常 高的稅率和人民快樂指數，跟香港很不 同，所以好奇的我選擇了到丹麥的哥本 哈根當交換生。當時是2016年，是我 人生中收穫最豐的一個學期。我修讀了 關於丹麥電影、建築、以及都市發展的 課程，希望多了解這個國家。同時，我 也修讀丹麥語，很美麗但又難以掌握的 語言。
表 : 您覺得北歐的大專教育有什麼吸引人的地方，令很多國家都有興趣仿效?
陳 : 首先想到的，是丹麥的大專教育是免費的。另外，我認識一位十七歲的當 地女孩，她計劃高中畢業之後，會先利 用兩年時間去旅遊和當義工，然後才進 大學，這正反映另一吸引的地方。當地 學生在升讀大學前，會利用一至兩年時 間作空檔年，去發掘世界和自己的理 想，是一件非常普遍的事。
表 : 在當地讀書的時候，您有機會接觸 到當地的藝術文化生活嗎?
陳 : 因為我本身主修藝術科，所以在丹 麥的時候，我儘量爭取時間去參觀美術 館。最令人印象深刻的，是露易絲安娜 當代美術館(Louisiana Museum of Modern Art)和斯卡恩博物館(Skagens Museum)。
Education in Denmark is unique – Yi Kwan Chan
Yi Kwan Chan is an Archive Assistant at the Asia Art Archive. A double-major in Fine Arts and Comparative Literature at HKU, Yi Kwan was the Asia Regional Winner in the Art History and Theory category of The Undergraduate Awards in 2017, a global academic awards programme for undergraduate students. She joined the AAA after graduation to work on the Ha Bik Chuen Archive Project, in which she focuses on the research, categorisation, and digitisation of archival materials on art in Hong Kong.
(TAV: The Art Venue, Chan: Yi Kwan Chan)
TAV: Why did you choose to go to Denmark for the exchange programme? What did you study?
Chan: I remember it was very late at night when I was making my application for the exchange programme. Flipping through the programme booklet provided by HKU, I couldn’t make up my mind on which country to choose. Somehow my eyes became fixed on Denmark —a country known for its highest tax rates and happiest people in the world, which are two elements completely different from Hong Kong. Denmark is also particularly famous in Hong Kong for the butter cookies in blue tins (later I found that no Danes could care less about those cookies). With my curiosity piqued, I set out on an exchange journey in Copenhagen in 2016, and it turned out to be the most enriching semester I ever had. To broaden my understanding of Denmark, I took courses in Danish cinema and Danish architecture and urban design. I also learnt Danish, which is a beautiful language but one that is incredibly difficult to master.
TAV: Many countries would like to replicate the Nordic tertiary education, why?
Chan: The first thing that popped into my head is the free tuition for tertiary education. The public support to students reflects the government’s willingness to invest in future generations. It is also part of the Danish welfare system that leads Denmark to be an egalitarian society. Yet this may not be easily replicable in other countries. Another interesting aspect of the Danish education system is gap years. I had the pleasure of getting to know a 17-year-old Danish girl who was planning to travel and volunteer for two years after high school. I learnt from her that taking one or two years off before going to university is very common in Denmark as a way to explore the world and to discover your true passion.
TAV: Did you enjoy the arts and cultural life in Denmark when you studied there?
Chan: As an art history student, I took the opportunity to visit as many art museums in Denmark as possible. The most impressive Danish art museum has to be the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, which is less than an hour from Copenhagen by train. The incorporation of the museum’s original wooden structure in the art-viewing experience and the stunning view of the Baltic Sea are simply unforgettable. Another museum I greatly enjoyed was the Skagens Museum in Denmark’s northernmost town. It houses artworks by the “Skagen painters”, who were members of the Scandinavian artists’ colony active in the late 19th century. Exhibited in the actual town they were created, these plein air paintings brought me back in time to the Xanadu of this beautiful Scandinavian country.