'Always Traveling' exhibit by Dutch architects

'Always Traveling' exhibit by Dutch architects

By Amir Sidharta

JAKARTA (JP): While composers and choreographers discussed the
issue of multiculturalism at Art Summit 1995 between Sept. 27 and
28, an exhibition held at the Erasmus Huis in Jakarta quietly
addressed the diversity of architecture in the Netherlands.

The problem of immigrants in Holland seems to have reached a
significant level in the last decade, Marga Kuperus and Harkolien
Meinsma pointed out in the introduction of the exhibition
catalog.

By 1990, the percentage of unemployed among immigrants was
higher than among natives, resulting in a negative perception of
immigrants, especially those coming from former Dutch colonies.

Concerned with the worsening image of immigrants, Minister of
Welfare, Health and Culture Hedi d'Ancona instigated a policy to
provide more opportunities to artists of foreign origins. In
response, Curaao-born architect Mike Janga got together a group
of colleagues with sound reputations as architects and artists in
the Dutch community. Five of the 11 are of Indonesian descent.
They approached the ARA Foundation to formalize their ideas.

Since 1992, art historian and journalist Marga Kuperus and
publisher Harkolien Meinsma have combined their activities in the
ARA Foundation, which aims to stimulate interior design and
architecture. They came up with the idea of exhibiting the
endeavors of architects and artists originating from former Dutch
colonies and now working in Holland. The 10 architects and one
artist hoped that such an exhibit would help their different
hopes to converge as well as help developers overcome their
hesitation in commissioning immigrant architects and artists.

Entitled Altijd Op Reis (Always Traveling), the exhibit shows
that the architects and artist feel their lives are still not
rooted in Holland, although they have lived and worked in the
country. Some have thought about returning to their countries of
origin. Those who have done so fail to feel at home.

Roots

The feeling of being without roots is not entirely negative,
however. Many of the architects feel privileged by their ability
to stay in the middle of two cultures, considering it a wonderful
opportunity to obtain knowledge from two cultural resources.

"My Indonesian background can be seen in my sense and use of
colors and materials. As inspiration, I still often use the
greens and the colors of the flowers of my mother's garden,"
claims Jakarta-born Djuanita Soedjono.

It is clear that she is fully conscious of both her Indonesian
and Dutch backgrounds. Perhaps the most interesting aspect in
this exhibition is that the architects place great emphasis on
elements that go beyond buildings. Most focus on enhancing the
quality of the spatial experience in their architecture. While
Djuanita Soedjono places great importance in colors and
materials, Bert Tjhie, another architect born in Jakarta, sees
architecture as a meeting point of not only human beings, but
also form, color and material. It is important to find the
balance between contrasts such as serenity and movement, light
and darkness, small and large.

"The built environment should act as a stabilizer in a chaotic
community," asserts Yogyakarta-born Ernest Kasanmoentalib.

"Therefore," he adds, "not all buildings need to be lavish and
obtrusive. There has to be a rhythm in the impressions that are
experienced by human beings."

He continues to strive toward achieving a balance and
interrelatedness in his works.

Just as Mike Janga often uses poetry in his explanation of
plans, Indonesian-born Gerrit Kuen believes the significance of
poetry for architects lie in spaces. Spaces are abstract
entities. A space only becomes concrete because of light, or by
traversing the space.

Similarly, Freddy van Trikt is interested in the composition
and interrelation of spaces. His designs are characterized by a
series of gradual transitions between various spaces.

"I am conscious that when creating the design I am moved by
these things: how you organize spaces, how you experience them,
and how you walk across them. What kind of emotions do you feel
at that time. Architects need to possess a sensitivity toward a
thinking based on space," says van Trikt.

Suitably, the exhibition is nicely packaged in an installation
which seems fit for constant travel, as its title suggests. The
architects' works are transported ready-to-exhibit in a pair of
pine shipping containers, hinged together and latched. The
display is simple: Just open the latch, and the pair of cases
unfold to reveal the exhibition panels containing the various
element of the architects' presentations. Each of the architects
used a variety of different visualization methods, such as plans,
elevations, axonometric drawings, perspectives and photographs,
to create a stimulating display.

Informative

The variety of renderings and materials used add to the
strength of the exhibit. Unfortunately, only one small paper
model was included in the show, although the depth of the pine
cases warranted the incorporation of more three dimensional
objects.

Although the exhibition is filled with informative labels, it
is also a pity that there seems to have been no anticipation that
the show would be viewed by non-Dutch speaking people.
Supplementary labels are only made available in Indonesian, and
even these are placed quite far from the display. The clip-on
working lights, although somewhat large, are in tune with the
feeling of transience and the travel theme.

According to Marga Kuperus and Harkolien Meinsma, the project
has enabled many of the architects to contemplate their
architectural views and their mode of work in respect to their
ethnic backgrounds. Interrelated elements and ideas surfaced
unexpectedly, giving this multicultural exhibition potential
beyond an exposition acknowledging the existence of architects
from places other than the Netherlands.

As the Netherlands faces the social impact of increased
immigration, multiculturalism may offer solutions to the problems
likely to arise with these changes. Ed Morroy's approach to
architecture illustrates the potential of multiculturalism.

"I do not question that my cultural background influences my
design style. In Holland, I naturally would construct differently
than I would in Suriname. The comparison between architecture
from the East and architecture from the West is not first and
foremost about architecture, but rather about our backgrounds and
our way of thinking; which is different compared to the way of
thinking of people who have always lived in Holland," he
explains.

The 10 architects and one artist may therefore change the way
of life in the Netherlands.

The exhibition ends Oct. 12.