Exhibit designer Peter de Kimpe (1951) works internationally for museums and theatre companies. For the exhibit De Romantiek in het Noorden – van Friedrich tot Turner (The Romantic in the North - from Friedrich to Turner) in the Groninger Museum, he was in Groningen and talked to us about his work.
“Many people don't realise that an exhibit is designed. They take the surroundings for granted or think it has to do with the architecture or the existing situation. I have come to believe over the years that that might be a very ‘comforting’ situation. Then you can at least say that the design does not distract from the matter at hand, which is art. At best, it is then an unconscious influence on or addition to the perception of the work. But I do find it exciting when the design is noted, and I also think that people who have the knowledge or take the time — because that’s often what’s required — see the totality.”
HOW DO YOU COME UP WITH YOUR DESIGN?
“There's always a whole process that precedes it that I'm not usually involved in. During that process, the exhibit is composed. At some point there's a collection, and that's usually when a designer comes in. That's a year in advance, 3/4 of a year when it gets tight. A certain percentage of the collection is still uncertain, but that is something we can live with. This type of collection has already been created with knowledge: this is the museum, this is the situation and this will be more or less appropriate."
“My field is then about the space, the colour, the rhythm and the positioning of those artworks. There is a very concrete collaboration with the people who compiled the collection. A kind of rearrangement occurs based on questions we ask ourselves: ‘What if we put that work there? Or what if we start with this painting as a vantage point and then we start the first room? But what should that first room be about? Does our idea of the layout match the visual experience when you walk through the spaces? And does it fit the specific situation of the museum?”
WHEN IS A DESIGN RIGHT?
“Yes, when is it right? I tend to call it a kind of visual dramaturgy. I think that's going too far for a lot of people. As if I were influencing the content. But if you look at it as a visual dramaturgy, then independent of the story of the content, there is a visual story that makes you understand the subject better when you walk through the exhibit. In this exhibit, the first introductory room asks a question: What is Romanticism? It includes several works that demonstrate this, so to speak. In the rooms after that, the whole idea is then developed further.”
“There are still some wonderful museums in this world that have remained stuck in their time. In looking at those works you are transported back in time, but I don't know if that's where the most understanding of those works comes from. You're still walking around in the 21st century. Our way of looking at things is completely different. We are also much more volatile, I think. It is interesting to use the exhibit architecture, the space, the arrangement, the lighting and the colour as a means of communicating those works to people who are looking at those works from the 18th century in the 21st century. That's what I'm focused on.”
HOW CAN COLOUR GUIDE SOMETHING LIKE THAT?
“That's pretty intuitive sometimes. I really like to think about what might be a suitable combination. Sometimes you can literally see that the colour in the painting jumps off the wall. This is partly because the wall colour pushes it very much forward. It's not that the painting becomes different as a result, because it's still of the same quality. But I think the wall colour does very much influence your gaze.”
WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES YOU FACE AS AN EXHIBIT DESIGNER?
“There is always a certain healthy rivalry between the order of the artworks and what you see when you hang two works side by side. There are two amazing paintings in this exhibit that feature a rainbow. Then it's pretty logical to hang them side by side. This comparison also allows you to look right through to the differences. The fact that you confront works with each other makes you immediately look at the artistic interplay. All these works are full of detail; we pointed this out to each other during installation: ‘Did you see those two males on that road walking there?’ Or: ‘There's a four-millimetre crucifix there on top of a huge massif!’
“SOMETIMES YOU CAN LITERALLY SEE THAT THE COLOUR IN THE PAINTING JUMPS OFF THE WALL.” Peter de Kimpe
AREN'T YOU AFRAID YOU MIGHT HAVE OVERLOOKED SOMETHING?
“It can always be different, you know? But that's almost true of our whole lives: things can always be different. And yet the key is to connect very much with that moment. This is what it is. And we are very much convinced at this point that this is the ultimate exhibit that you can make on this subject. These works have been brought together with such care by the museum and its curators. I think it's really a feat. I am surprised by the quality of the works. A large number of Turners and works by Caspar David Friedrich are here. And also a number of discoveries: artists I had often heard of, but also those I didn't know at all. Sometimes in Dutch possession or from renowned museums abroad. They come from all over.”
ARE YOU INSPIRED BY THOSE WORKS YOURSELF?
“Yes. That's a tricky subject, because I have an art school background; I'm pretty well and terribly educated. Somehow, Romanticism was something you just talked about for a while, and then people jumped all over it. It's inspiring to me now to see how unjust that is. How fantastic those works are.”
IS YOUR WORK A TRADE OR MORE OF AN ART FORM?
“It's tempting to keep emphasising that it's art. But I have to tell you that at the same time, I really appreciate the craft. The distinction between trade and art is actually highly artificial, because you are looking at the art from the trade standpoint. I was allowed to make a design in Japan, where the distinction between art and trade is completely gone. There I negotiated over a pot where you could only say: I want to buy this. Because it's so beautifully made. The ecstatic, uplifting feeling you experience is from the artistic side. But inextricably linked to that is the fact that it's so well made.”
WHAT WOULD YOU REALLY LIKE TO MAKE?
“I'm very happy with what I'm doing now, but I'd like to move on to contemporary art. I've worked with several artists who are still living and that's extremely exciting. That's an additional dimension. I have worked with Marina Abramović twice. Those are real challenges.”