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OBSERVATORIUM VOOR HET MENSELIJK GEDRAG
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Touching Down in Public Space / english
Canvas Creations / english
The New Masters / english
A tent for all birds / english
Een tent voor alle vogels / dutch
Jumping the Boarding / english
Over De Schutting Springen / dutch
Stands and Tents / english
Lemniscaat / italian

Touching Down in Public Space / english

Touching Down in Public Space _New Public Commissions by Dré Wapenaar

By Ciba Xymara

Usually it is the futuristic visions of space colonies that awaken our fears and hopes of contained collective living. Modular building units and strangely barren, pared-down environments permeated by a light, airy atmosphere make up the images of encapsulated space handed down to us from sci-fi movies and NASA renderings. With his hand-built designs for pavilions and tents, Dutch artist Dré Wapenaar borrows from this visual vocabulary in temporary structures that are firmly rooted on this planet. Interested in the social architecture of communal space, he is currently celebrating two major commissions: an installation of his Tentvillage at the Nantes Biennale in 2007 and a permanent installation in the courtyard of MassMoCA, a top U.S. venue for contemporary art. With his unique sensibility for creating intimate realms in public space, it is no wonder that Wapenaar is gaining increased attention for his architectural cross-overs and urban development projects.
Clustered together like a colony of wild-growing mushrooms, the rounded shapes of the Tentvillage truly could be an alien campsite in the woods. Igloo-like, canvas tents in warm earth tones are arranged on multi-level platforms. They form both an autonomous sculpture and a functioning campsite containing elements of open and enclosed space. Initially sold to four campgrounds in the Netherlands, one cluster of the Tentvillage has been repurchased and refurbished by the artist to be installed in the summer as an outdoor hang-out and chill site on the wide-ranging aerial of Nantes’ famous biennial, a summer event to note in your calendar. Although you might not have the opportunity to travel to MassMoCA’s more remote New England location, it is worth a peek at Wapenaar’s plans for his dynamic open-air COURTYARDPAVILLION at the heart of the museum. Overlapping awnings, sunscreens, and curtain-like elements create a layered, light-infused gathering space focused around a communal fireplace for transitional seasons. Beyond these two projects, the appealing feel of the sculptures and commissions on Wapenaar’s website have an immediacy that easily captures the imagination of artists, designers and architects alike. Step inside!

Site: StudioGloriusVandeVen