Death Matters
Tropenmuseum Amsterdam
Death Matters (in Dutch: De Dood Leeft) is a temporary exhibition showing how people worldwide deal with death. It consists of a route through several rooms which is roughly in synch with the different phases relatives experience after someone dies.
Tropenmuseum Amsterdam
Death Matters (in Dutch: De Dood Leeft) is a temporary exhibition showing how people worldwide deal with death. It consists of a route through several rooms which is roughly in synch with the different phases relatives experience after someone dies.
Cotton walls
For this exhibition I designed a rectangular volume of approximately 35 by 15 meters. It is made with cotton and has a height of about 15 meters. By using cotton walls, it was possible to use the full height of the available space, but the cotton also refers to the role textile has in many practices related to death.
For this exhibition I designed a rectangular volume of approximately 35 by 15 meters. It is made with cotton and has a height of about 15 meters. By using cotton walls, it was possible to use the full height of the available space, but the cotton also refers to the role textile has in many practices related to death.
Grey tones
The black exterior of the volume separates the visitor from the rest of the museum and gives the exhibition a monumental but introverted character. The spaces within the volume are created with curved walls. Because of subtle variation in grey tones every room has different spatial qualities, adjusted to the different themes.
The black exterior of the volume separates the visitor from the rest of the museum and gives the exhibition a monumental but introverted character. The spaces within the volume are created with curved walls. Because of subtle variation in grey tones every room has different spatial qualities, adjusted to the different themes.
Comparing and Immersing
The museum asked us to make several rooms where the visitor is immersed in one culture, but during the design process i conceived the idea to give the visitor a lot of opportunities to compare, because a lot of themes related to death are very universal.
The museum asked us to make several rooms where the visitor is immersed in one culture, but during the design process i conceived the idea to give the visitor a lot of opportunities to compare, because a lot of themes related to death are very universal.
Light
Light plays an important role in the design of the exhibition to manipulate the spaces. For this exhibition I collaborated with several light designers.
Light plays an important role in the design of the exhibition to manipulate the spaces. For this exhibition I collaborated with several light designers.
Personal stories
The exhibition consist of several layers, making the exhibition interesting for people who want to stay for hours, but also for visitors who only walk by. The rooms are filled with objects, photographs, films, and audio points in which personal stories play an important role. Visitors can emphasize with the stories and think about how they would deal with death themselves.
The exhibition consist of several layers, making the exhibition interesting for people who want to stay for hours, but also for visitors who only walk by. The rooms are filled with objects, photographs, films, and audio points in which personal stories play an important role. Visitors can emphasize with the stories and think about how they would deal with death themselves.
Project details
In employment at: Kossmann.dejong
Client: Tropenmuseum Amsterdam
Contractor: Kloosterboer Decor
Light design: Reinier Tweebeeke / Cue1
Completed: 2011
In employment at: Kossmann.dejong
Client: Tropenmuseum Amsterdam
Contractor: Kloosterboer Decor
Light design: Reinier Tweebeeke / Cue1
Completed: 2011