A Grand Mountain Scene

A Grand Mountain Scene is a pop-in expo I’ve curated for Het Nieuwe Instituut in which I present a garden designed and built by Bèr Slangen. The garden is unique and out of place in the terraced housing neighbourhood in which it is located. Constructed by Bèr Slangen in the garden of his house in Maastricht, the garden surprises visitors by its scale and theme. After the hardships of the Second World War Bèr Slangen found solace in bike rides through the Alps. The mountainous landscape and fresh mountain air inspired him to recreate the sense of freedom. He created the garden working from a sense of feeling, rather than botanical and geographical accuracy. Bèr Slangen spent many hours sitting on his bench, smoking his pipe gazing into the garden admiring his grand mountain scene.

The pop-in expo was composed of photos from the private archive of Bèr Slangen combined with the original bench and pipe.

The pop-in expo was part of the programme Dissident Gardens, Het Nieuwe Instituut focuses on the most current expressions of the classic struggle between nature and culture. The programme includes five exhibitions and a series of lectures and debates. It questions and investigates the most current manifestations of the classic struggle between nature and culture. The exhibition presents influential contributions from designers, architects and artists that allow us to reflect on our current relationship with nature, living-material innovations and the impact of technology on our lives and our environment.