Frank Havermans / KAPKAR
17 Aug 2017 - 18 Mar 2018
In the summer of 2017, on the invitation of SCHUNCK, Frank Havermans presented two installations at the Glaspaleis. The white wall on the south side was temporarily bedecked with a prominent installation created by Havermans. He also built a second (new) installation, especially for the thirty-metre-long showcase of the Glaspaleis.
Where
SCHUNCK Glaspaleis
The work was an acknowledgement of Heerlen’s industrial past and functioned to temporarily interact between the city’s modernist architecture and its open spaces. It was the first time that there had been such a large-scale intervention in the architecture of the Glaspaleis.
Built in 1933, the Glaspaleis is a modernist landmark designed by Heerlen-based architect, Frits Peutz. Issues which Havermans addressed in his work in Heerlen were: what should and can be done with a building that occupies a defining position in the contemporary architectural discourse? How does a city deal with its own history? What is the potential for the city and its future?
Frank Havermans, KAPKAR 2017. Foto: René de Wit
For years, Frank Havermans and his studio have been wowing us with their amazing architectural installations which question, stretch and challenge the discipline of architecture. The permanent and temporary installations both made use of and represented a statement on the built environment. An additional layer was also applied at unexpected strategic locations, thus giving the viewer a completely different outlook on the original location.
Store window installation
In addition on the work on the south-facing wall of the building, Havermans also presented a second new installation. This installation was specifically designed with the 30-metre-long window in mind. His aim was also to draw our attention to its very design process. He designed each installation using a series of scale models, the last of which - the conclusive model - also served as the 3D blueprint. In the store window he added his scale models and sculptures so that together they formed an autonomous installation. The result provided a bird’s eye view of Havermans’ thought processes and his way of working in the form of a floating model of a dreamlike city. Havermans took an in-depth approach in respect of the installation on the south-facing wall, thereby imagining a possible future for Parkstad.
Havermans’ work has been displayed at the Architecture Biennial in São Paulo, the 15th architecture biennial in Venice, Hong Kong, Vienna, Jakarta, Toronto, Chongqing, etc.
SCHUNCK book: Transitional
In 2018, SCHUNCK published ‘Transitional’, a book about the artist / designer Frank Havermans (b. 1967). The book includes photos of all his architectural installations from the past twenty years, analyses by experts from the world of art and architecture, and background information provided by the artist himself. The spectacular installation created for SCHUNCK provided the inspiration for ‘Transitional’. The book looks at the design, development and production processes involved in this fascinating structure. In addition, four transition installations which are intrinsically related to the suspended installation in Heerlen are discussed. The publication provides an overview of architectural installations from the last twenty years. Attention is also paid to the design models Havermans considers to be at the core of his design practice.
The book can be purchased in the the SCHUNCK museum shop and selected bookshops and online via IDEAbooks: https://www.ideabooks.nl/9789074106474-frank-havermans-transitional