The publication-exhibition is the result of an experimental student's workshop on curating, initiated by the University of Amsterdam and the Sandberg Institute, Amsterdam, led by Suzanne van de Ven.
Considering INTERSCAPE:
How to balance the relation between an exhibition context and presented work? How to make an exhibition into a coherent whole without having it turn introverted in a self-referential way, but instead allowing it to maintain a potential for self-criticism? The exhibition project INTERSCAPE started off with a critical examination of the field of contemporary exhibition making. In order to find some answers to the formulated questions, a choice was made return to the basis of any exhibition - its spatial and temporal framework - and take it as the point of departure for a project that wants to analyse and question fixed parameters.
INTERSCAPE, a neologism, composed of a prefix and a suffix, suggesting an 'in-between', has taken the medium 'book' as its experimental exhibition platform. Constituting structure for this platform is a 'matrix' - an archetypical notation, originally derived from mathematics to index content. Determining enough to provide a steady basis, and simultaneously allowing for differing contributions and interventions, the code-structure of the matrix provides the 'exhibition-architecture' that accomodates all parties and elements involved in the coming about of an exhibition.
Benoit Goupy, Roderick Hietbrink, Arjan Janssen, Gert-Jan Prins and Peter Stel were invited to make their individual interventions in INTERSCAPE's space. Usually working on an 'in situ' basis with different media in a three-dimensional space, ranging from video and sound to more physical installations, they have conceived their work from and within the fundamental matrix-grid designed by Niels Schrader, changing the given temporal and spatial parameters of INTERSCAPE as such.
Completing its core-content with a text by Domeniek Ruyters - who was invited to write a 'pre-review' of INTERSCAPE from the perspective of a critic - and the curators' texts that were written in parallel to the exhibition's concept, the exhibition's elements have been coordinated into the matrix-grid, in turn altering its appearance throughout its trajectory. Integrated within the space of the book together with all other elements of the exhibition's constellation as such - its three advertisements in different magazines, its five 'bookmark-invitations' sent out to its audience, introduced by its initiating institutes and waved goodbye by its advisor - INTERSCAPE became what it now may be understood as: an imprint of an exhibition trajectory as an exhibition in the shape of a book. We've chosen to simply call it a 'publication-exhibition'; and hope it is something you will enjoy and will continue to enjoy.
INTERSCAPE is composed by Thomas Bakker (NL), Jennifer Kanary (CA/NL), Takako Kondo (JP), Britt Kootstra (NL), Alexandra Landr/ (DE), Antonis Pittas (GR), Jennifer Steetskamp (DE/NL) and Steven ten Thije (NL).
INTERSCAPE is designed by Niels Schrader (DE/VE).
INTERSCAPE contains texts by Jeroen Boomgaard (lecturer, University of Amsterdam), Jos Houweling (director, Sandberg Institute), Domeniek Ruyters (head editor and critic, Metropolis M) and Suzanne van de Ven (independent curator and writer, Cargo Series, St. Kunstwerk Loods 6 Amsterdam, PORTAL, Kunsthalle Fridericianum, Kassel).
INTERSCAPE will be on sale for the special price of 9 euro during the presentation on January 8 only. After the presentation a copy of INTERSCAPE can be purchased for 12,50 euro via the Sandberg Institute, Prinses Irenestraat 19, 1077 WT Amsterdam (0205882400).