At Buitenplaats Doornburgh, the former monastery between Utrecht and Amsterdam, work by a range of renowned designers, artists, and photographers was shown beginning March 18, 2022, in the exhibition Vorm aan de Vecht.
With this exhibition, Buitenplaats Doornburgh sought to cast itself in a new light by reflecting on its history. It did so by showing work by more than 65 designers, photographers, artists, and fashion designers. The exhibition included extensive photography by Jimmy Nelson as well as new work by Suzanne Jongmans.
Curator Nicole Uniquole organized the exhibition in a former monastery on the Vecht River: “The seventeenth-century elite built their country houses along the Vecht to spend their summers there. This exhibition presents the estate’s heritage alongside contemporary design. In this way, we tell the story of this special location, while the art and design on display also offer a surprising perspective on the future.”
Several makers temporarily lived in the monastery as artists in residence, creating new designs inspired by the estate.
Uniquole selected makers whose work reinforced the power of the location. A recurring theme throughout the exhibition was the daily rhythm of the sisters who once inhabited the priory, along with the architecture’s regular forms and structures found in design.
Historian Reinildis van Ditzhuyzen explored the history of the country estates along the Vecht between Utrecht and Amsterdam. This collection of seventeenth-century estates is also known as the Golden Bend. Van Ditzhuyzen paid particular attention to the Canonesses Regular of the Holy Sepulchre, the order that lived at Doornburgh from 1957 to 2016. She interviewed former residents and documented part of the estate’s history.
It is quite exceptional that the monastery has been preserved as a whole, including the distinctive furniture that contributes to its special atmosphere. The estate’s nature, architecture, and history continue to inspire contemporary makers.
Vorm aan de Vecht
March 18 through September 25, 2022
Buitenplaats Doornburgh
