Viva Vinex! is about the perception of the so-called 'Vinex' suburbs. These suburbs not only change the face of the Netherlands, but determine also how a large part of the population lives, works and experience the world. According to a 1991 memorandum called the Vierde Nota Ruimtelijke Ordening Extra, at least 635.000 houses should be built to respond to an increasing and changing housing need for the population in the Netherlands. Almere, founded in 1976, can be seen as an important prelude to the many 'Vinex' sites the Netherlands now have. In the exhibition Viva Vinex the characteristic of the Vinex landscape is for once not translated into a common lament, but pays tribute to this new (look at the) world. For Viva Vinex, Nico Bick has chosen to show us the prefabricated garden shed. With this choice, he draws more attention to the presence of these sheds than on the houses in the new residential areas. The houses show the residents desire to the extraordinary, while their garden sheds show the factory tailored appeal of the area. Nico Bick also exhibits light boxes with images of excavators in different variations. Here the excavator is not more than a shiny toy of which you can not imagine they are able to create a complete residential area within the blink of an eye. It is therefore not only an aesthetic object within the context of industrial progress but also the symbol for the construction and realisation of many new residential areas. Museum de Paviljoens, Almere. |