observatorium.org

Website design with Maarten Verweij. 2001.

Commissioned by Felix Janssens and the Observatorium. (Foundation for the arts. Developing Art projects in relation to urban planning and landscape.) Main function of the website is that of archive. The design moves around a ‘simple’ but effective 3×3 grid in which all information can be obtained. Important aspect is that the ‘photographed’ archive at the same time functions as site-navigation. Certain objects like filmrol, script, photo and scrapbook function as main theme headers. Searching in this way for information becomes like a ‘unguided missile’; no idea where you’ll end up. Unexpected confrontations.

Graduation

Eliminating any possible doubt about ‘The Netherlands as a Multicultural Society’. On different levels symbols are exchanged and appropriated. The entrance of the Lower House is covered with stickers as a metaphor in which appropriation and integration are expressed. A publication on exchange and appropriation of cultural characteristics accompanies the images. It describes the exchange on a local and global scale. Streetpictures, magazines, stickers and ‘objets trouvés’ express the feeling of a multicultural world. Architecture which visually links to Arabic Mathematical Patterns, Chinese filmposters who copy western depiction of moviestars or a Japanese character (Hello Kitty) which resembles our Nijntje. 2002.