SHARDS

The 6th floor will be dedicated to its former resident: the Rotterdam City Archives. Artist Stephan Keppel spent the last week of 2024 in Herman Lamers' house and studio to work on a series of prints about the city.

Keppel investigated both the known and unknown structures and surfaces of cities. Through a subjective database of images and reproductions (of city walls, architectural references and urban structures) Keppel strips the city of clichéd myths. Each urban project requires a different approach. This method is part of Keppel's ongoing research into public space, urban structures and reproduction techniques.

For his exhibition in Het Archief, Keppel uses elements from cinematography. The architecture of the building plays an important role in this. For example, the light boxes in the building were transformed into a cinematic light line, with transparent prints mounted on them. These are reminiscent of microfiches (often used in archives) and exposed film reels. The whole reads like a frieze, which follows the shape of the exhibition space. In architecture, a frieze is the term for any extensive, narrative representation of people, mythological figures or animals within a clear framework. Each image shown is connected to the city of Rotterdam.