The Queen was a Christmas exhibition in Mariehaven in Ansager, created by floral artist Johnny Haugaard together with volunteers. The exhibition is not a current event, but stands as a clear example of how Mariehaven could also be used outside the music season: as a garden filled with Christmas decorations, colours, tones and natural materials.
The most striking motif was the angel, which in the exhibition was described as on its way through a transformation portal. It was made from 1,000 glass ice-cream cups – a rather precise and slightly odd materials list for a Christmas angel, and precisely for that reason hard to forget.
Locally, The Queen was described as an exhibition that could be experienced both in daylight and after dark. This points to a setup in which materials, light and the garden's own spaces changed character depending on the time of day.
Behind the Christmas universe lay several weeks of work. Mariehaven's own volunteers worked together with volunteers from Johnny Haugaard's network, who came from all over the country. In a garden normally associated with music, the community here became visible in spruce branches, glass, light and winter decorations.
