The Zaan Makes It/Made in the Zaan
Zaanse Industrial Revolution!
Pronk has provided the complete design for the refurbishment of the Zaans Museum in Zaandam (NL).
The Zaans Museum is a regional museum, or more specifically an industrial museum with as its subject the Zaan region, an area with a rich tradition of manufacturing. The museum shows the process, the people behind the process and the influence of this make-and-do mentality on the landscape and culture – in fact everything that has made the Zaan region the unique landscape that it is today.
“De Zaanstreek Maakt Het” (The Zaan Makes It/Made in the Zaan) provides a catching introduction to the museum experience. A composition of unique and unusual furniture representing the landscape is accentuated by an extraordinary and active lighting plan, soundscapes and projections. A tumult of images and sound engages the visitor and takes him or her on a journey through time to the age in which the Zaan region blossomed into the first and indeed the largest industrial area in the world. Around 1730, at least 670 windmills packed into a small area produced a large and varied range of products from flour to ships, from paper to paint and from linseed oil to kitchens. We let visitors experience this story by immersing them in an atmosphere and a spectacle that reflects the 24/7 economy of the Zaan region and which contextualises the museum collection. Large, clear graphics provide clarity and ensure “a certain kind of Dutchness”. The museum is accessible to everyone and captures the imagination of all!
