Kunsthal Inside/Out: Boris Acket

From Saturday 21 December, audiovisual artist and composer Boris Acket will perform an intervention at the Kunsthal building. His new site-specific work 'Spaces between Lines' can be seen on the characteristic ramp that runs through the building and in HAL 6, the Kunsthal's display window. For the first time, a designer has been commissioned to create new work that can be seen both inside and outside the Kunsthal, taking the architecture of the Kunsthal, designed by Rem Koolhaas of OMA, as its starting point.

Acket draws his inspiration from a conversation between architect Rem Koolhaas and former Kunsthal director Wim van Krimpen, in which they describe the hard lines of this 'building without compromise': "It is black or white, nowhere grey." With his installation, Acket focuses on the space in between and connects the interior of the Kunsthal with the exterior space of the publicly accessible ramp. In Spaces between Lines, Acket uses textiles, light and air currents to make the invisible spaces between the lines of the building visible. The installation explores the balance between control and surrender and is part of his 'Einder' series.

Poetic play

In the striking HAL 6 of the Kunsthal, a wing controlled by a rail system creates rotating air currents that bring the textile in the space to life. Engineer Merijn Versnel developed this 28-metre-long, innovative control system in collaboration with Studio Boris Acket. The canvas of HAL 6, long and narrow, provides a stage for the air currents generated by the wing and hypnotic movement and light patterns. Outside on the ramp, a second cloth moves, set in motion solely by the wind. The natural wind and artificial air currents seem to dance together, blurring the boundary between inside and outside. As day turns to evening, soft shadows and flowing movements play a poetic game, and the viewer's experience changes as well.

Kunsthal Inside/Out

The new programme line Kunsthal Inside/Out presents an artistic intervention in the architecture of the Kunsthal, with special attention to the ramp that crosses the building. This intervention emphasises the iconic character of Rem Koolhaas' architecture, with the Kunsthal functioning as a gateway to the Museumpark.

Kunsthal Inside/Out invites designers to create a site-specific work that can be experienced both indoors and outdoors. Makers are given the opportunity to show and challenge their creativity in a special way within the unique space of the Kunsthal. This includes the 36.5-metre-long HAL 6 – also known as the Kunsthal's 'shop window' – and the ramp, a public route that connects the Westzeedijk with the Museumpark. This allows not only visitors but also passers-by to experience the art installation during opening hours.

The combination of indoor and outdoor space offers an exhibition area of no less than 440 square meters: 60 square meters inside and 380 square meters outside. The materials of the building – concrete, steel, corrugated iron and large windows – enhance the interaction between the art installation and the architecture.