Foundation Art and Public Space
artist: Stanley Brouwn
located in: Leidsche Rijn,
A number of artists are being invited to react to the urbanisation in Leidsche Rijn, either by building a house or by organising an action within the artists’ houses programme.
Stanley Brouwn
Beyond Leidsche Rijn: Artists’ houses
On 22 August 2005, a new exhibition space designed by Holland’s well-known conceptual artist Stanley Brouwn and architect Bertus Mulder has been opened on the new housing estate of Leidsche Rijn. It is the first time that an architectural design by this artist has been realised.
Het Gebouw
‘Het Gebouw’ (The building) is constructed of a steel frame covered by panelling and consists of two rectangular spaces that lie centred, one on top of the other in the form of a cross. The dimensions of the building are derived from the so-called ‘Brouwn-foot’; instead of the metric system the artist uses the length of his own foot. Bertus Mulder, well-known for his restoration of the Rietveld-Schröder house, was the architect in charge.
‘Het Gebouw’ has been realised under the authority of BEYOND, the long-term art programme for Leidsche Rijn and is located at the future heart of this new urban development.
Stanley Brouwn
Brouwn made a name for himself in the early 1960’s with his measurement of distances. He gained international recognition with the work ‘this way brouwn’, which consists of drawings made by passers-by that serve as directions for the artist to get from one place to another. Brouwn also embarked on various journeys during which he counted the number of steps he took. The great precision and consistence of Brouwn’s work throughout decennia continue to make him one of Holland’s most important artists. Brouwn has made it a principle never to publish information about his projects. He believes that his work, as in the case of this building, is shown to best advantage without further commentary.
The pavilion is being built in the development area of Leidsche Rijn Centrum, the future center of this district. It will be located near to architect Shigeru Ban’s Paper Dome. It will remain there until 2009, after which it will finally move to a permanent location. The realization of this presentation space for visual art is the second time that the planned development of Leidsche Rijn Centrum is being preconceived.
