The Danish National Hospital (Da. Rigshospitalet) became world famous outside the clinical research community with Danish instructor Lars von Trier’s creative and celebrated TV/video series The Kingdom (Da. Riget, 1994). Riget was a somewhat creepy but hilarious story that questioned the higher rationality in this Danish bastion of high-tech medical science. The ghosts that reigned in the labyrinthic basement hallways were guardians of reminiscences of the dark sides in the hospital’s history.
Now Lene Galsgaard who coordinates the hospital’s 250 years anniversary activities in 2007 has initiated a “memory blog” called “Riget husker” (The Kingdom remembers). The aim of the blog — which is aired today, two weeks before the offical opening of the festivities — is to collect a spectrum of reminiscences from present and former staff, partners, and patients about how they experienced the hospital. Hopefully their reminiscences will be less uncanny than those displayed in von Trier’s version.
A great initiative — will be interesting to see how it will work out.
