On this day, 15 years ago, we were in Copenhagen as a family, and took advantage of an unseasonably warm and sunny day to spend the afternoon in Frederiksberg Have, a 160 acre oasis of forest, river, and gardens.

A fun aid to our visit was The Mat Map, a piece of fabric that served dual duty as a map of the park and a mat to sit or eat your lunch on:

The maps cum mats were available for free from a large red translucent dispenser, an interesting object in its own right:

Among the things the map led us to was a delightful collection of art and design installations scattered round the park; I only learned today that these (as well as the map itself) were part of the The Cabinetmaker’s Autumn Exhibition 2006:

The Mat Map and its dispenser were designed by architect and designer Karen Kjaergaard, who also contributed SHUT UP! (detail above).

Although it was a lifetime and 15 years ago, the sense of that sunny afternoon rides with me still, and I’m so glad we happened upon the map and the things that it led us to.