Michiel Kluiters
Winter garden

Wintertuin was made in front of the passageway leading from the old Amphia Ziekenhuis (hospital) in Breda to the new building with its strongly contrasting architecture. The large glass panels in this passageway give an expansive view of the garden and let in a lot of daylight. The open structure reminded Kluiters of the building style of sanitariums, in particular the Zonnestraal sanitarium in Hilversum. The latter building, which is located in a forested area, was designed by architect Johannes Duiker (1928) and functions as a therapeutic sanctuary for the chronically ill. While taking this as well as the laboratory-like surroundings of the hospital into account, Kluiters became engrossed by interior landscaping, botanical design and the allegedly healing effects of similar ‘indoor jungles’. Moreover, in his design plan he referred to the science fiction film, Silent Running (1979), in which the botanical remnants of life on Earth are artificially preserved in large spherical greenhouses on space ships.

Comfort and alienation go hand in hand in the dreamlike images of Wintertuin. Silent images slowly fade into each other on the three separate screens that are fixed onto the exterior facade of the building. In this way a panoramic angle has been added to our traditionally outward-focused gaze. Also the linking of the film fragments causes the contrasting environments to become entwined, thereby creating a new landscape. No story unfolds in this work and suspense can be found in the wondrous manifestations of these contrasting ‘realities’. Not only is the boundary between interior and exterior space obscured but also the demarcation between the real space of the hospital and the images of the tropical greenhouse. Reality and fiction can hardly be distinguished anymore and the interaction between the screens is likewise intriguing. Occasionally the series of alternating images match to form a whole, only to slip by seconds later.

The three projections of this 45-minute-long film feature countless moments in time and combinations of images. Indeed the fragmentary format of the video works well since it is mainly experienced in passing it by. The effect of this work increases in time for those visitors who come back to visit it again as well as for people who view it at different times of the day. Indeed as night falls, the fluorescent images become more prominent and the atmosphere in the hallway is increasingly influenced by the wondrous parallel reality of the Wintertuin.

The Amphia Ziekenhuis owns a special collection of visual art including works by Luc Tuymans and Ann Veronica Janssens. Michiel Kluiters’ work was made as an extension of this collection. His work also connects to the collection’s theme of offering the hospital’s patients relaxation, food for thought and a beautiful and wondrous experience.