Discover the magic of SPEEL!
“Last year, the paths of Mothership and CrossArts crossed, giving us the opportunity to jointly bring the unique concept SPEEL! to life. We, Jeroen and Vincent, feel a strong connection with this city, where there are countless opportunities to shape Breda’s future development. We are proud of this project and look forward to contributing big to Breda’s positioning in the coming years.”
Breda’s Havenkwartier has been transformed into a magical art maze!
After intensive preparation, the moment was there: the kick-off of the SPEEL! project took place on Friday 18 August. Under the enthusiastic leadership of CrossArt director Marjan van Gerwen, the guests were taken through the story behind the decision to put the Speelhuislaan in the spotlight at this very moment and transform it into a magical art maze!
Kunstdoolhof SPEEL! is an initiative of CrossArts, Brack, ELECTRON, Grote Kerk Breda, BredaPhoto and the Tranzforma foundation (StadGalerij Breda).
SPEEL! is open!
From 19 August to 1 October 2023, we transformed the site between Brack and Electron on Speelhuislaan in Breda into a growing maze of hemp, with the enchanting Speelhuis 2.0 at its centre.
During the festive opening, with crazy circus acts by Tall Tales Company challenging the audience to an adventurous journey through the green art maze, the go-ahead was given for 6 weeks of art and adventure at SPEEL!
We are extremely proud to have developed and realised this unique concept for CrossArts, ahead of the redevelopment of this area by Amvest. All this has been made possible thanks to the great collaboration with various partners. For the Playhouse, we worked with Dutch Steigers, who are responsible for the construction of the playhouse, and Planemos, who produced Krijn de Koning’s ‘blocks’.
Enchanted Playhouse: the beating heart of SPEEL!
The enchanting artwork ‘BLOCKS’, designed by Krijn de Koning, shows an artistic interpretation of the historic Playhouse of the Nassaus that once stood on the same spot between 1610 and 1621. The Playhouse remake pays homage to the old hunting lodge.
The artwork stands out because of large coloured cubes woven into a scaffolding structure, through which the public can walk. The cubes not only offer visual appeal, but also invite interaction and exploration. They act as the beating heart of SPEEL!
One of the cubes saw a remarkable collaboration between the Stedelijk Museum Breda, artists Tom Heerschop and Krijn de Koning. The museum showed interest and decided to participate in the SPEEL! project by creating stained-glass windows in keeping with the theme of the Playhouse of the Nassaus. Tom created the design for these windows, with hundreds of visitors helping to colour it in.
Krijn decorated the blue cube with play material that changes each time, as each visitor interacts with it through play. As a bonus, the artist has added a nod to the blocks rejected in the hemp maze, which you can only see from the top cube: the observation tower.
Explore Blocks and experience the surprising connection between art and history in SPEEL!
Get to know Krijn de Koning
Krijn de Koning (Amsterdam, 1963) is an artist known for his site-specific and temporary artworks. His creations, from immaculate white to vibrantly coloured, are subtly integrated into their surroundings, bringing harmony, balance and beauty. Krijn de Koning’s work can be admired in international museums, galleries and public spaces.
Venture into the growing hemp maze at SPEEL!
A maze made of growing hemp, where every step is a discovery and every turn reveals a new adventure. The maze is not only a playful work of art, but also a symbol of innovation and sustainability.
As you walk through the aisles of the maze, you are surrounded by the lush greenery of the hemp plants and can marvel at the versatility of this sustainable material.
With advice from experts in hemp cultivation and collaboration with Hempflax, a leading company in the field, we created this growing work of art. The growth of the hemp field was a bit laborious at first, but thanks to the help of agricultural experts and the green fingers of CrossArts’ project leader Erica Jonkman, it is now growing like cabbage.
Come along in between to follow the growth closely!
The prelude to renewal: redevelopment in motion
In the world of culture, it is no strange phenomenon that the phases of playing, creating, building and transforming, are the prelude to project development. This is part of the nature of creative incubators, which ultimately help to redevelop an area.