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Krijn de Koning
THE SPIRIT OF A PLACE
Krijn de Koning was free to choose the
location for his contribution to Fafade
2012. Without hesitation he chose the for
mer location of Miniatuur Walcheren. At
present it is a ruin; a connection between
memory and reality. Miniatuur Walcher
en only exists in the collective memory
of those who have visited this miniature
world, built to a scale of 1:20. However, it
has not yet completely disappeared; not
all traces have as yet been eradicated. The
fundaments on which the structures were
built still exist, as do a couple of dikes,
footpaths and walls. Today's reality views
like an archeological site, which shows us
a glimpse of a world no longer existing.
This location awaits a new destination. Its
past has nearly ended, but its future has
not yet begun.
Krijn de Koning just loves amuse
ment parks. Of course they are too cheer
ful and too colorful, but the pleasure that
visitors derive from it is completely real.
To formulate a paradox: an amusement
park is a form of authentic fake. An
amusement park resembling Miniatuur
Walcheren as it once was, is nothing but
a construction. It is a world that we lay
claim to. It is a world as we want it to
be, an ideal of our real world in which
we live. The distinction between reality
and ideal is rather superficial. The only
real difference between the two is the
scale. We can experience both places,
and either feel at home or not. However,
we can of course not actually live in the
small houses.
By intervening in the scale of Minia
tuur Walcheren De Koning transforms
it. His architectonic installation connects
the different scales that are still visible.
The bookstall, which before marked the
entrance, is nearest us physically, with its
scale of 1:1. The mini railway that once
transported children around the park is
too little for the big world and too big for
the little world. The small dike, planted
with trees, creates a border around the
park, and is of yet a different scale. We are
still able to envision the scale of the hous
es because of the remaining fundaments.
By bringing everything together in one
image, De Koning creates unity in diver
sity. He does not remove anything and
adds nothing to this location. Although
he somehow does add the memory of
the former Miniatuur world to the world
in which we live, which is simply a con
struction, as was the miniature world of
Walcheren. They are both fafades. Neither
of these world differ in terms of authen
ticity; they are expressions of meanings
that we give to things. The houses, the
city, the roads - whether they exist in the
reality of our world or in the reality of the
scaled model, they all look like we think
they should.
By directing our gaze, De Koning's
work leads to the psychology behind the
visible reality. It invokes the experience
of a place in transition. Miniatuur Wal
cheren does not exist anymore, although
near the highway leading into Middelburg
one finds its present-day successor, Mini
Mundi. This does not mean that the for
mer site has become tabula rasa or an
empty space. Each site has an idea, a soul
that does not disappear just because we
decide to make use of it in another way.
In what way would we like to experience
such a place?
www.krijndekoning.nl
Foto: Thom Schaar
(ft
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