THE BIGGEST LIVING ROOM IN THE NETHERLANDS

Exhibition curated by Tellurico and La Cube for Eindhoven Design Week




“In the Netherlands we are building for tomorrow but still have yesterday’s image of society in mind. We are building small Lijnbaans that are pointless, separate shopping centres, separate schools, separate theatres and separate universities. We draw our conclusions from the past, do a little multiplication and make predictions for the future. But trees do not grow up to the sky. What we need is a different pattern of thinking. “

F. van Klingeren quoted in 'Vernieuwende Nederlandse architectuur', Wonen, 1, 1970, p.10.

The 't Karregat, architect Frank Van Klingeren multifunctional neighborhood center was undoubtedly one of the most controversial Dutch building of the seventies in the Netherlands. It was at first applauded but later on very much criticised. Now all but forgotten, the T-Karregat was built with the aim of creating and improving the relationships within the community. It relates to the ideals of a new, socialist and open society where common services are shared and there are no borders between social entities. It was thought as a multifunctional edifice where people can be together and share experiences and spend their time. On a structural level, the building is built around only one element, the Pillar, not only as a structure but as an element around which to gather and unite. During the first proposal of the project, Van Klingeren said ‘’ there would have to be a roof on a pillar and nothing else...they will be artificial trees, sculptures you could stand under. Umbrella overlapping so that larger spaces are formed underneath. I can even see them all over Eindhoven as a symbol of a more human society’’. Tellurico together with Molto Molto project has decided to, in this setting, to organise an exhibition centered around the concept of the Pillar, investigating it not only as a constructive element in architecture but also as a possible catalyser of relationships between people. Establishing a relationship with the space as the first point of the exhibition, the central column is taken as the common concept to structure the collaboration of all the participants. The aim will be to make a heterogeneous understanding of the same element, from the different perspectives of the artists and designers, that will generate a multiple reading and an exhibition intimately interwoven with the space. The original component of the column and its interpretations, whether literal or symbolic, will share the same space, creating a new but nevertheless natural situation to it: the column as an “umbrella” that embraces the different readings of itself. The exhibition will take place in the t-Karregat during the Dutch Design Week 2018, in Eindhoven.




Photos: Tellurico