For Residue the artists engaged with the history of the Hembrug weapons factory in Zaandam. Having been the Netherlands’ biggest weapons factory between 1904 and 2003, it played an important role in many international conflicts, including the suppression of the independence struggles in Indonesia during the colonial wars. Currently, the area is in redevelopment in order to revive it for civilian use, but the violence that used to be exported from here has not disappeared; the soils beneath the former factory contain contaminating remnants of the weapons manufacturing. An extensive process of soil remediation tries to cure such contamination. An act that represents attempts of cleansing, but can just as well be read as the covering up of an uncomfortable past.
During the exhibition, these archives will unfold in the space, allowing the audience to physically enter the history of the Hembrug terrain. The Space will be turned into an underground realm, where soil portraits rise above the surface, while below – soils are being moved, cleaned, sterilized, and covered up.
The visual presentation contrasts with a research presentation which constitutes part of the exhibition. Documents from the Zaans Museum collection, and the factory’s productive history are presented in a timeline, opening up information about its participation in geopolitical conflicts.
The exhibition will be activated by performances: in the process of 60 minutes soils will become tangible, revealing the hidden history of Hemburg terrain. The artists warmly invite you to join one of the activations on the following dates:
18 November, 17.30 hrs
25 November, 15 hrs
2 December 15 hrs
9 December, 19:30-23 hrs at Amsterdam Museum within Refresh Late
16 December, 13 – 21 hrs: finissage with sound performances
The project was made possible by the generous support of the Mondriaan Fonds, AFK, Stichting Stokroos, W. E. Jansen Fonds and Zaans Museum.
