spatial manuscript
vedute
Vedute is a non-profit organisation collecting 'spatial manuscripts', personal and three-dimensional mission statements. Every year a selected number of artists, designers and architects are invited to contribute to the collection, answering a more or less abstract question formulated by the Vedute board. The sizes of the objects have been fixed to the exact dimension of the States Bible of the Netherlands, 7 x 32 x 44 cm. In 2009 we had the honour of making and publicly presenting our object, thinking about our vision of space and landscape.
| design: | 2009 |
| realisation: | 2009 |
| client: | Stichting Vedute |
house in Uitdam
house in Uitdam
To us, space undisputedly relates to material. And of course to proportions, atmospheres, light, temperature, texture, colour, sound and smell. In short everything that contributes to the sensual experience of a space relates to the substance from which the architecture has been made. The character of the materials used, whether overtly expressive or subdued, acts as the starting point of our architecture and helps to determine the spaces we make.
house in Heiloo
house in Lyon
At the same time, we feel that space only comes alive through time and use. Our architecture is meant to be an effective and clear framework for the natural processes that take place during its lifetime. It offers opportunities for adaptation, ageing and change.
For Vedute we created an object meant for change. We used a material that has similar sensual qualities to those of the natural building materials we like to use for our projects. The object was made of solid bee’s wax, collected from local bees of Rotterdam and bought directly from the beekeeper. It was retained in a completely natural state, with its original colour, shades and smells, and its warm and heavy feel. We cast the wax in a mould with the Vedute dimensions, 44 x 32 x 7 cm, stacking many thin layers on top of each other.
The wicks inserted into the mass can be lit one at a time or all together. After some time, craters and little ponds around the wicks will appear eventually flowing into each other. The flat surface gradually evolves into a three dimensional, unpredictable, miniature landscape.
Our spatial manuscript is not a model, an image or representation of anything. It is, just like architecture, to be experienced at its best by using it with all of the senses. Everyone touching it will leave his or her unique marks behind. Every time the wicks are lit the object becomes thinner, less substantial and lighter, until only a thin layer of wax will remain on the bottom and the edges. The object becomes a large, fluid space that has been shaped by material, time and use. By placing the wicks at a safe distance from the edges of the object, the framework dictated by the Vedute dimensions remains intact.
