'EVERYWHEN’

February 25, 2024

Short description:

‘Kia whakatomuri te haere whakamua.’

‘I walk backwards into the future with my eyes fixed on the past.’

‘'Everywhen’

The project challenges us to rethink our relationship with the future in a quest that is guided by Everywhen: a perception of time in which past, present, and future are interconnected. The project demonstrates how this idea of time can become part of our thinking and the way we perceive the city. Through spatial installations, maps and storytelling, the boundaries of this approach are explored. The exhibition shows us what it is like to experience The Hague through the lens of Everywhen.

Full description:

There is a Māori saying: "I walk backwards into the future with my eyes fixed on the past." Nowadays we show little sensitivity to this wisdom. We live in a world in which the future has no place. Yet the choices made today, will have far-reaching consequences for that future. It is a dead-end road. The climate crisis shows that we can no longer ignore the future. We need to broaden our time horizon. In doing so we are faced with a barrier: the future can be vague and abstract and is clouded by uncertainty. This makes the climate crisis also a crisis of perspective.

To escape this perspective crisis, we need to expand the boundaries of our temporal imagination. Designers have the ability – and the responsibility – to play a key role in this challenge. It requires a fundamentally different design approach, which begins with the realization that the Western idea of time – where the present is isolated from the past and the future – may underlie our shortsightedness. Indigenous cultures, where a different sense of time exists, can help us break this cycle. We can draw inspiration from the belief that past, present, and future are interwoven. This fluid idea of time is referred to by Aboriginals as Everywhen. This graduation project demonstrates how Everywhen can become part of the practice of urban and architectural design.

In this quest, three media forms from the designer's standard repertoire provide guidance. Through maps, models, and narratives, we explore how we can perceive and understand the city in the spirit of Everywhen. This approach focuses on The Hague; a city that is formed by divergent time scales. On one hand, the city is shaped by deep geological layers of sand and peat. On the other hand, the city has a long history as the center of political power, which is constantly changing. These interacting time layers provide the perfect conditions to experience the city through the lens of Everywhen.

The collected stories about The Hague form the basis for a series of spatial emblemas. These representations of places in The Hague challenge us to broaden our temporal perspective. Do we look at the city as it was, now is, or as it could be in the future? From the spatial installations, maps, and stories, a new image of the city emerges. The boundary between past, present, and future fades until we reach Everywhen.

images: Daan de Jong

Comment

'MUMURMURMURS’

February 15, 2024

Short description:

‘Murmurmurmurs’

See Lab hosted the exhibition ‘Murmurmurmurs’. Together, the four murs wanted to share their stories and tell them in whispers of their practice. Their exhibition showed their distinctive voices, invited to share more stories, and celebrated together to create a murmur of its own.

Murmurs were innocent and whooshing sounds that came straight from the heart. They were silent, yet telling. As such, the presenting artists contributed their own mur to the presentation of their collective Murmurmurmurs. The four distinctive voices told their own personal stories through their artistic practices. Without a need to scream, they instead whispered their tales in the ways that suited them best. In various forms, shapes, and sizes, they asked you to look and listen, and maybe say something back as well (if you would like to).

The exhibition opened on Friday, February 16th. The following Saturday, the 17th, the audience was welcomed to join the public event of shared storytelling in the exhibition space, and on Sunday, the 18th, a collective dinner closed the exhibition.

photography: Anca Bârjovanu

Comment

ONDERSTROOM (UNDERCURRENT)

November 6, 2023

“The Unknown”

The sea

The shores

The sound

Of breaking waves

The wind

Whispering

Windblown sand

In my face

The sand

Sticking on my skin

The smell

Of salt water

The silent force of

Short description:

‘UNDERCURRENT’

When the light travels from the sun, blue tones disperse once they reach the earth’s atmosphere. A grand blue horizon takes shape because of this colour that scatters into the sky. Something similar occurs once the light reaches the surface of the ocean. Red, yellow and green will be mostly absorbed, but blue travels all the way down, into its depths. The deeper the ocean, the deeper the colour blue will be.

Gazing at the horizon and the clouds it holds, is as looking at the ocean and its waves; a longing for the unattainable that is both bewildering and comforting. ‘The world is blue at its edges and in its depths’[1], Rebecca Solnit beautifully states. The insurmountable distance between these environments and human beings, is captivating and something to endlessly obsess and contemplate over. There is still to this day, so much that is left undiscovered about the ocean and all the species it holds. Its mystery and opacity create not only space for speculation, but also for fantasy and wandering – getting lost in time and thoughts. As such, its inherent distance may, paradoxically, bring us closer to the edges of the world through the process of imagination.

These are elements that capture my mind whilst thinking about Lili Berger and her work as well. Within her artistic practice, Lili allows her mind to roam whilst surrendering herself to the material. By creating endless shapes and forms, which often remind of sea-like creatures, she lets go of the notion of time and sinks deeply into her subconsciousness. Here, she composes her own introspective landscape, where imagination, emotions and intuition are able to flow freely into their tactile translations. As Lili surrenders to the material, she surrenders to the invisible elements that move her from within – creating space for a sense of freedom which reminds of the endlessness of the ocean itself.

Lili Berger’s solo-exhibition ‘Undercurrent’ invites visitors to discover all the elements that move and wander below the surface. With a beautiful sensitivity for materials such as ceramics, embroidery and different type of wire, she continues to expand her unique artistic and artisanal expression. The joy Lili feels whilst making work, sparks through in the way she treats the material, as it is loaded with so much thought, feeling and intention in every detail. It reminds me how important it is to let go and allow yourself to feel free within your emotions. To let them be as clouds in the sky or waves in the ocean - constantly moving, shaping, shifting and turning. Constantly fading and reappearing around the conscious surface.

You are warmly invited to experience and celebrate the mesmerising world that Lili Berger creates within her artistic work.

[1] Rebecca Solnit: ‘A field guide to getting lost’ (2017), Canongate Books, page 29

Korte beschrijving:

‘ONDERSTROOM’

Blauwe tonen verspreiden zich, wanneer het licht dat vanaf de zon naar beneden reist de atmosfeer van de aarde raakt. Een uitgestrekte, blauwe horizon vormt zich door de kleur die door de lucht verspreidt. Iets vergelijkbaars gebeurt wanneer het licht het oppervlak van de oceaan raakt; rood, geel en groen zullen voor een groot deel geabsorbeerd worden, maar blauw reist naar beneden, richting de diepte. Hoe dieper de oceaan, des te dieper de kleur van het blauw.

Kijken naar de horizon en de wolken die hier bewegen, is als kijken naar de oceaan en diens golven; een verlangen voor het onbereikbare, dat verbijstert en troost tegelijkertijd. ‘De wereld is blauw in diens grenzen en dieptes’[1], is wat Rebecca Solnit zo mooi omschrijft. De onoverkoombare afstand tussen deze plekken en mensen, is iets om onszelf eindeloos over te verwonderen. Er is tot op de dag van vandaag nog zoveel te ontdekken over de oceaan en alles wat hier leeft. Als een sluier omhult het donkere water de zichtbaarheid van alles dat hier voortbeweegt. Dit creëert niet alleen ruimte voor speculatie, maar ook voor fantasie - een mogelijkheid om jezelf te verliezen in gedachten en tijd.

Zodanig kan de afstand ons, op paradoxale wijze, dichter bij de randen van de wereld brengen, door de kracht van verbeelding. Dit zijn flarden van mijn gedachten wanneer ik nadenk over Lili Berger en haar werk. Lili laat zich leiden door haar intuïtie terwijl zij zich overgeeft aan het materiaal. Door het creëren van eindeloze vormen – die vaak doen denken aan zee-achtige organismen – laat zij het idee van tijd los en zinkt zij diep in haar onderbewustzijn. Hier componeert zij haar eigen introspectieve landschap, waar haar verbeelding, emoties en intuïtie vrijelijk in hun tactiele vertalingen kunnen vloeien. Wanneer Lili zich overgeeft aan het materiaal, geeft zij zichzelf tevens over aan de onzichtbare elementen die haar van binnenuit drijven. Hierdoor wordt er ruimte gecreëerd voor een gevoel van vrijheid, een gevoel dat doet herinneren aan de eindeloosheid van de oceaan zelf.

Lili Berger’s solotentoonstelling ‘Onderstroom’ nodigt bezoekers uit om alle elementen te ontdekken die zich onder het oppervlak voortbewegen. Met een prachtige gevoeligheid voor materialen zoals keramiek, borduren en verschillende toepassingen van draad, blijft zij haar unieke artistieke en ambachtelijke expressie ontwikkelen. Het geluk dat Lili omarmt wanneer zij werk maakt, schittert door de manier waarop zij het materiaal behandelt – elk detail is geladen met zoveel gedachten, gevoelens en intentie. Het herinnert aan het gevoel van loslaten en je vrij voelen in je eigen emoties. Om ze als wolken in de lucht of golven in de oceaan te laten zijn – voortdurend in beweging, verschuiven en draaien. Voortdurend vervagend en opnieuw verschijnend, rondom het bewuste oppervlak.

[1] Rebecca Solnit: ‘A field guide to getting lost’ (2017), Canongate Books, pagina 29

Text/ curation: Catelijne Boele
Photography: Jacob Ganslmeier & Lili Berger

Comment

OPEN ATELIERS 2023

October 16, 2023

Thank you for joining us at this year's Open Studios at See Lab!

November 4th - 5th
13:00 - 18:00 h

The See Lab community was delighted to invite you to Open Studios! During those days, we invited you to explore all the different elements See Lab offered: studios, workshops, and our beautiful project space. Besides visiting our building and the different working spaces, you were able to enjoy a cup of coffee, tea, homemade snacks and live music in our bar.

studio: Jorick de Quaasteniet

studio: Juliette Hengst

studio: Annabelle Schatteman

studio: Lili Berger

studio: Helena Sanders

studio: Nina van Dijk

studio: Awinash Panchu

studio: Savas Tubbing

studio: Chris de Vis

studio: Siem Beets

studio: Menno Pasveer

studio: Elina Alekseeva

studio: Kim Ho

announcing a new film by: Sjuul Joosen

work by studio: Mark Veliscek

music by: Leah Uijterlinde and Stayotis

A glimpse into diverse studios: Anke van den Berg

Forgotten Artworks exhibition
Additionally, there was the opportunity to view the group show 'Forgotten Artworks' in our project space, which had contributions from all See Lab members. The exhibition encapsulated a celebration of all the creative work that was left unseen in our studios - works that had been tucked away and stumbled upon after a long time.

photography: Sjuul Joosen

We were happy to welcome you!

Sincerely,

the artists at See Lab

Comment

Time-r

September 28, 2023

Short description:

Time-r

There is no time. (I was told
today)
What time is it? When shall we meet? How long is I love you forever…
Look at the sun & moon,
dialling day & night.

Time-r: Isn’t a moment uncountable?

Time-r is an aural installation by Kim Ho & Remco Jongejan, reflecting on the multiplicity of time. In this work, questions on our relationship with time are reframed and pondered, not verbally, but experientially. Communicating through a bodily-oriented experience, this work invites visitors to mind their own time, listen to it at their own pace.

As clock-time system becomes pre-dominant in modern social structure, we (when participated in a society) become habitual to arranging life in segments without aware. Often, time is conceived as a countable object: sometimes a commodity, sometimes a governor of our daily routine. The censorship of time seems out of our hands, while the time in our hands seems like a limited resource, always out of stock.

We become a living time-r.

Welcome to all (time-rs) who’d like to experience a moment of freedom.

We rarely see light itself, but what light shines upon. Is time, as far as we have experienced socially and culturally, not a mere reflection of time? Can we infer time through experiencing different “time”s? What are the possible relationships between a human-being and time: am I the perceiver, the perceived, or somewhere in between? In quest, this project embarks on creating a space where a multispectral temporal experience is possible, both metaphorically and physically, a place where multiple mirrors of time stood against/with/opposite one another where one’s attention are the eyes to sharpen the image. In this work, time is a reflection is explored as a spatial metaphor.

Time-r is constructed as a space composed of multiple “timers” embedded in different materiality. Noteworthily, here, time is not regarded as a life-less, ever-passing substance which leads our everyday decisions to a certain direction—it is treated as a living entity, with whom we can have a dynamic dialogue with. The language we use is not verbal, rather, it is experiential. Walking into this work, a visitor establishes bodily relations with the space through a heightened notion of various temporalities, facilitated by the elements that fortifies the space.

By situating time from an outsider’s perspective to an insider’s experience, it is an experimental ground for where our perception may lead when multiple layers of temporality becomes a tangible and embodied experience. This work intends to research time from as many angles as possible, while being manifested into an installation—a self-aware space—where the visitor (Timer) can view time as time itself.

P.S.

Time-r is a project set off from an experiential enquiry into the nature of time. Often, time is experienced as an entity outside us with a dualistic characteristic—that of which swings between objective and subjective, cyclic and directional, intangible and measurable—Time-r intends to question these pre-conceptions, researching how we (human-beings) as an agency with a multitude of perceptual intuitions (selves) attend to time in different contexts.

Graphic design exhibition:
Elina Alekseeva

Photography: Anke van den Berg

Comment

Program

'EVERYWHEN’

'MUMURMURMURS’

ONDERSTROOM (UNDERCURRENT)

OPEN ATELIERS 2023

Time-r