DelftNL
A city known for the historical paintings of Johannes Vermeer and a Technical University that attracts students from around the world. RADIUS - a new center for contemporary art and ecology - opened in January 2022 and is located just outside the inner-city of Delft. In spring and summer of 2023 we set a table in RADIUS show and co-organized public program of events on Dutch horticulture.
RADIUS is located in the pump house and water basin belonging to the Delft water tower, a historic national monument and landmark. Designed at the end of the 19th century by architect M.A.C. Hartman and build north of the Haagpoort, the place that would later be called Kalverbos. A suitable location, because this former earthen stronghold is higher than the surrounding area and close to the city centre. The tower is accompanied by a huge underground reservoir to store the Dune-water and (later on) the Maas-water to provide the Delft-households from the 600 tons of water that the reservoir could storage.
In 1996 the water tower loses its function. In the tower various spaces have been built that can accommodate flex workers and small-scale seminars.
In the reservoir RADIUS runs an exhibition and education program dedicated to the intersection of art and science, with an emphasis on climate, ecology and the living environment.
| Region | South Holland |
|---|---|
| Local partners |
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| Population | 101,030 |
| Common fruit, vegetables, animals | Tomatoes in greenhouses, sparrows and herons |
| Tradition | Solar Powered Cars |
| Scent | Yeast factory |
| Distances from Delft | Distances |
In 2018 Myvillages and the founder of Radius Niekolaas Johannes Lekkerkerk were connected through Kunsthuis SYB in Beetsterzwaag.
In 2016 during the SYB residency Wapke Feenstra with a group of local villagers worked on Wild Treasure for International Village Shop. The workshops and production were part of Eco Nomadic School.
In 2018 Wapke was invited to present her work with Myvillages and the Wild Treasure in the Triennial of Beetsterzwaag, on invitation of the curators Julia Geerlings and Niekolaas Johannes Lekkerkerk. The triennial was part of the main programme of Leeuwarden – Friesland European Capital of Culture 2018, where the notion of “iepen mienskip” (open community) took centre stage.
Geerlings and Lekkerkerk connect the theme of “open community” to the ancient concept of the “almende”, a notion dating back to the Middle Ages signifying a common share of the community in uncultivated, undivided meadows, woods and fishing waters. They want to reintroduce the notion of the almende as a starting point to re-evaluate the shared responsibility and interests that are coupled with the communal use of the land, the landscape and the public space.
Wild Treasure and more goods made by Myvillages were part of the sales-performance ‘Sutelje’ on 6-9 Sept 2018. To connect to the visitors to the Triennial of Beetsterzwaag she was taking the commons as a source of action. Wapke created a 1:1 economy by bringing local and international Village Goods into the mainstreet of Beetsterzwaag during the Triënnale. In her project ‘Sutelje’ (Frysian for peddling), she carried a sales basket and organized a trunk-sale from her parked car, that was filled with merchandise during the four days of the Triennale. A mobile International Village Shop.
