Dom
Hans van der Laan
The Human Habitat
February 24
- April 13 2008
Netherlands
Architecture Institute Maastricht
In 2008 the NAI Maastricht will sketch longer lines at the interface of architecture and design centred on the theme of the interior. The first in a series of three exhibitions is ‘The Human Habitat’, focusing on the work of architect, designer, theoretician and Benedictine monk Dom Hans van der Laan (1904-1991).
Spatial experienceThe oeuvre of Dom van der Laan is wide-ranging: he designed not just buildings, but also their interiors and even the liturgy. It is difficult to make this heritage accessible because his buildings are often not open to the public. This exhibition is intended to evoke a spatial experience of his work. ‘The Human Habitat’ offers visitors the opportunity to approach the work from the perspective of architecture, design, or as part of a meaningful system.
curator:
Wendel ten Arve
exhibition design: Wim de Vos
graphic design: Hansje van Halem.
'HOME' is the title of an installation by Christoph Seyferth which will be shown in parallel with the work of Dom van der Laan. The work of this self-taught designer is diverse: he designed the house that he had built in Maastricht, he has designed spectacles for Adidas, and created several interiors and items of furniture.
Modern monastery cell
This installation is a secular variant of a monastery cell and should
be regarded as a sketch, as work in progress, that Christoph Seyferth
will take further next year. A bed, a table, a desk chair, a wooden bench,
a tall and a low cupboard, a coat rack ‘by the metre’, a lamp
and a flexible partition form both the private world into which you can
retreat and the place from which you can face the world.
Comfort
Beauty in 'HOME' is the result of functionality, efficiency and flexibility.
Unlike the furnishings of a monastery cell, these items of furniture offer
a certain degree of comfort. The luxury lies in the simple, elegant styling,
the refinement of the details, and the sustainability of each product.
Seyferth’s temporary HOME will keep on changing during the presentation.
This installation explicitly addresses the world and opens itself up to
it.
Charles Jencks, the US architecture critic, landscape architect and designer, will give a lecture entitled ‘The Garden of Cosmic Speculation’. He will discuss his work and will address cosmic themes and the question of cultural identity. This lecture is a unique opportunity to hear this flamboyant speaker, as he is very rarely to be heard on the European continent.
NAi Maastricht, March 13, 8 pm