49m2, year 7, spring 2023 | Britte Koolen
Spring 2023 with Britte Koolen AS GUEST ARTIST IN THE ZAARTPARK, BREDA
From 20 March 2023 to 20 June 2023 Britte Koolen will be the guest artist of the 49 square meters in the Zaartpark in Breda. The project 49m2 is a long-term research initiative on public space, initiated by Gerrit-Jan Smit in collaboration with Witte Rook. Each working period concludes with an observation by the artist and an article by a writer, both published on Witte Rook’s online platform. The location is freely accessible throughout the year.
Britte on her plan the quiet experience:
“Building in silence is about taking time for reflection and introspection. Silence allows space for that which cannot immediately be put into words. Silence is concentration and attention.
I squeeze myself into the Louvre. People are packed in all around me. Unfortunately, I quickly realise that not only the people, but everything in the Louvre is crammed together. The paintings hang beneath and above one another – almost on top of each other. The overwhelming excess makes me feel angry and restless.
This experience reflects how I sometimes perceive the world around us – it can feel incredibly chaotic and confusing. It can be difficult to find focus, let alone to hold onto it. That’s why I have a deep fascination with order, balance, and calm. Empty space, which for me is synonymous with silence, plays a crucial role in this.
During my residency I want to explore the site and surroundings of 49m2 in relation to the theme of silence. I will do this through photography and drawing.
Questions I’ll be asking myself during this period include:
Can I attempt to capture silence and emptiness through photographs and drawings?
How can I represent silence visually and textually?
What do passers-by think about silence and emptiness?”
About Britte Koolen
Inspired by the words of John Maeda – “When there is less, we appreciate everything much more” – Britte Koolen creates minimalist sculptural installations and wall sculptures. Driven by minimalist principles such as reuse, order, and reduction, Britte’s work embraces our universal desire to create order from chaos. It invites us to pause, to take a moment, and ultimately to seek the essence of things.
Britte finds inspiration in everyday life. Architecture, floor plans, and even a conversation can spark new work. Simplifying and abstracting play an important role in her practice. Precision is key. Imperfections that surface during the making process can either be removed or exaggerated – becoming formal elements in their own right.
Though the installations may appear difficult or intellectual, they are best discovered not through analytical contemplation but by walking around them, observing them from all sides, and experiencing them as they are – and as you are, within the space. The positioning of the sculptures within the installations holds the viewer in suspension, caught in a moment of decision – or indecision. A millimetre to the left, or to the right, suddenly means everything.
