Monuments
Noor
If the Colonies of Benevolence would qualify as UNESCO heritage, it would have a big impact on the architecture in the villages. To be on the UNESCO list, the first idea of the Colonies has to be visible in the villages, and a restoration of the monuments would have to take place. However, the monuments show diverse layers of history that Veenhuizen went through, and if put in the wrong hands, the restoration could lead to the loss of a part of the identity. Noor researched the hidden stories and layers of the monuments, and by using light, she found a way to integrate the stories in the buildings without harming the various layers of history. She designed a tour which guides you along Veenhuizen’s monuments; and if you are at the right place at the right time, it will reveal its hidden stories. With this tour Noor wants to promote appreciation of different layers of history in the architectural heritage using the valuable connective power of small and personal stories.
In the village Noor looked for the hidden stories of the monuments. She experimented with ways on how to bring these stories back into the village and make them part of the monuments again.
Noor decided to use light as a way to visualize the stories because it is an element that is often used in architecture and it opens up ways to create a new layer on the building without harming the old architecture. She created mirrors that direct the sunlight on the building and reveal the hidden stories. The objects are part of a tour of the six monuments. The map shows the route and gives at the same time an insight in the stories she collected, besides that the map questions the visitors how we should look at renovating cultural heritage and if we should see the errors also as a value of the monument as well.
