The Treasury of Dom Hans van der Laan – with Caroline Voet and Jo Coenen

16 March 2019

On Saturday 16 March, the Van der Laan Foundation, in collaboration with the Flemish Architecture Institute and Bureau Europa, presents the project ‘The Treasury of Dom Hans van der Laan’.

In the current cultural climate, much attention is paid to our heritage. An important question, however, is how to understand and guarantee the present-day value of archives. These shall be key questions for this event and are discussed through the prism of the oeuvre of architect Dom Hans van der Laan.

From extensive oeuvre to living heritage
The archive of Van der Laan, known for his proportions based the plastic constant, consists of 4500 drawings, writings and objects. The Treasury project unlocks this abundance of material for a broad audience and for study purposes. It provides insight into Van der Laan’s theory and practice through photographs, drawings, animations, films and analyses. Many publications have been published in the Netherlands and abroad about the thinking and production of Van der Laan and his followers in the Bossche School. The publication accompanying the Treasury project aims to reach a broad public and is therefore very accessible.

Caroline Voet
Caroline Voet developed an exhibition on the theory, context and work of Dom Hans van der Laan at the international art campus deSingel in Antwerp. She updates the work in her thesis, in which she shows Van der Laan the designer, positioning his oeuvre in an architectural-historical context. Voet teaches in London, Ghent/Leuven and Delft, and she is preparing an exhibition about the work of Van der Laan and Jan de Jong in May 2019 in the newly acquired monastery designed by De Jong in Maarssen, on the Doornburgh estate, where a cultural centre will be established.

Jo Coenen
Since a young age, architect, urban planner and educator Jo Coenen has been influenced in his thinking and work by the Limburg architect and designer Dom van der Laan. It has laid the foundation for his thorough historical knowledge and awareness. Jo Coenen also addresses issues of Limburg’s architectural heritage.

The resources to make the theory and work of Dom Hans van der Laan better accessible are supported by the Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds and the Creative Industries Fund NL.

Programme
10.30–11.00:
– Reception and registration, coffee in Lumière.

11.00–12.45:
– Opening and welcome by Joost Schrijnen, chairman Van der Laan Foundation
– Presentation about the Treasury and its future plans by Caroline Voet.
– Reflections by Jo Coenen and conversation with presenters and the participants led by Saskia van Stein, director of Bureau Europa

12.45–14.30:
– Lunch and after-talk in the Lunch costs € 25, this amount must be paid in advance.

Date: Saturday 16 March from 10.30 to 14.30
Admission:  Due to the limited number of places, please register in advance via
info@vanderlaanstichting.nl Registration is open until 9 March. Admission inclusive lunch costs € 25. If you only want to attend the lecture it will cost 12,50. Tis amount must be paid in advance to: NL10 RABO 0135675618, stating ‘Vrienden Van der Laan’.
Location: Lumière – afterwards there is an opportunity to visit the exhibition Stucco Storico at Bureau Europa.