DE APPEL presents 'unlimited.nl-2', an exhibition of a young generation of artists and architects working and living in the Netherlands. Hou Hanru, a Chinese art historian and curator from Paris, was invited to curate the show. In answer to the question 'What makes the Netherlands 'unlimited'?' Hou Hanru responded with the following statement: 'In a way, the Netherlands is becoming a laboratory in the search for a 'Second Modernity'. These new architectural experiments are based on the tendency among the new generation of architects to shift their focus from inventing new building styles to reconsidering urban structures and the urbanization of the country. No doubt, this is directly related to the influence of Rem Koolhaas' innovative and provocative ideas about architecture and urbanism, which emphasize density, contradiction, chaos, fluidity and 'bigness' in both architectural and social realities.' On a social level, multicultural differences do lead to discussions in the world of urbanism. From his position in Paris Hou Hanru sees Holland as the most open country of Europe. His concept of 'unlimited.nl' creates the opportunity to discuss such issues as: Does social transformation reorganise structures and/or territories? Can we envision a re-reading of the map of the Netherlands? What is 'lite urbanism'? Architects and artists can enrich and challenge the discourse on urban and social mutations. They often take a critical attitude towards the reality of the country and demonstrate in a variety of forms the changing relationships between private and public, global and local, arts and architecture in the cityscape. By developing multidisciplinary and collaborative projects, initiatives like De Geuzen in Amsterdam or De Vaalserberg and B.a.d. in Rotterdam try to take their visions beyond the borders of the field. 'unlimited.nl-2' focuses on dialogue, exchange and collaboration between individuals and groups and opts for change and openness in its presentation. The show will include architectural models, projections, installations and various platforms for debate.
Peter Spaans: 'Prohibited view'.
This viewer-enveloping streetscape is part of a tableau of urban observations with the Netherlands as both point of departure and underlying principle. The image, more a model and vision than urban reality, throws up countless references to the history of modern architecture and planning, at the same time looking ahead to an urban condition in the making. (archis, number 2, 1999)
Peter Spaans homepage / De Appel