Nightbirds
9 October 2014 - 3 January 2015
After Summer Dreams, the series Surprising finds from the collection descends into the night-time world of bohemians and night owls. How did architects over the past century manage to capture in their drawings the bustle as the audience gradually files into a theatre? What mood do their sketches conjure up of a café or club? And does any drawing depict the loneliness of the city, the emptiness after the party?
Nightbirds
Archivist Alfred Marks once again draws on his vast knowledge of the archive at Het Nieuwe Instituut to tell stories that run like invisible lines through the collection. For _Nightbirds _he focuses on three themes: the theatre, restaurants and dance halls, and the street at night. These are places where people want to see one another and be seen, where they seek company or prefer solitude. Fifty works reflect the emotions of nightlife: the excitement of the audience, the stage fright of the actors, the high-spirits or calm mood in a foyer, and the silence on the street. Complementing this selection is an extensive digital projection with sketches of iconic theatres, concert halls and other venues where nightlife played out in the Netherlands. Among the central figures are architects Onno Greiner, Hendrik Wijdeveld and Herman Hertzberger.
Surprising Finds
Nightbirds is the second edition of _Surprising Finds_. For this series archivist Alfred Marks selects extraordinary drawings, photographs, objects and models from the archives of Het Nieuwe Instituut on the basis of a theme. The presentations do not necessarily show the highlights of the Dutch architectural history, but first and foremost show the richness, diversity and narrative power of the collection.
Makkink & Bey
The office for design, applied art and architecture Studio Makkink & Bey created the spatial design for the series of archive exhibitions entitled Surprising Finds. For each installment, Studio Makkink&Bey carries out a spatial intervention in the interior originally designed by OMA, freeing up the plan of the archive room and creating space for the collection, and guest interventions by young designers and artists.
Guest Interventions
For each edition, Studio Makkink & Bey invites three young designers, artists or architects to relate their practice to the archive. This edition Studio Makkink & Bey collaborates with Timon van der Hijden. Each month Studio Makkink & Bey invites a contemporary artist or designer to offer their interpretation of the theme of nightlife.
This project is made possible in part thanks to the generous support of the BankGiro Loterij. Its financial contribution helps to enhance the public visibility of Het Nieuwe Instituut's collection.