Foundation Art and Public Space
artist: Gabriel Lester, Jennifer Tee
located in: Zorgcentrum Beatrix,
Jennifer Tee and Gabriel Lester have designed a Post Office for the residents of the Beatrix Care Centre in Culemborg. It exudes the nostalgic atmosphere of a social centre, a place where the residents can communicate with one another. In addition to the space and the furniture, Tee and Lester also designed, in collaboration with graphic designer Richard Niessen, writing paper, cards and rubber stamps. The project opens on Friday 1 July.
Gabriel Lester
,
Jennifer Tee
Beatrix Post Office
In many respects the annex of the Beatrix Care Centre in Culemborg looks like a covered village square. It includes a hairdressers, a grocery and a cafê on the square. The residents wander around and chat to each other. On being asked to make a work of art, Lester and Tee proposed designing a space where the residents could communicate. So now the Beatrix Post Office is to be found on the square: an open space with splendid furniture and a library. Here each resident has their own postbox, the furniture is made of mahogany and there are objects that have to do with correspondence. Everything is focussed on perception and communication: a light-driven clock, a display case containing old objects belonging to residents. The library contains books of letters by such famous authors as Elsschot, Kafka, Slauerhoff and A.F.Th. van der Heijden.
Lee and Lester also designed a logo for the old people’s home which is silkscreened on the floor tiles in the post office and can be seen on all the writing paper and cards.
