Vindhek in TNYT

AMSTERDAM | The Vindhek is conceptual art you can use — especially if you happen to have dropped, say, your keys.

There’s something very Amsterdam about the installation. But Annemarieke Weber, the designer of the Vindhek — a series of fences and kiosks on which passersby can look for items they lost somewhere in the city — said the invention is based on universal values: honesty, respect, the art of looking after your fellow human.

The instructions are simple: “Find your lost object, add a found one.” Certainly convenient for the traveler who, say, loses track of her favorite pair of shades during a walk through the Vondelpark, one of Amsterdam’s 30 parks.

“Everybody, young and old, starts to smile when they see it,” said Ms. Weber, of her contraptions, which she translates as “Findfence.” “They recognize it immediately and subconsciously. Only yesterday two men of 70 stood there smiling: ‘this is a wonderful idea,’ they said.’ ”

The displays sit in a few of Amsterdam’s more distinctive neighborhoods. The original is a ready-made art project, using existing fences within the confines of the Vondelpark. When the weather is cold, the fences can be a heartwarming sight, often adorned with rows of scarves, hoodies and gloves.

Along the Kinkerstraat, in the heart of Amsterdam’s gentrifying Oud West district, a brand new installation bears a much more interactive design. A cylindrical kiosk is topped with a metal cover bearing the Vindhek’s instructions, and circled by wooden benches. Lost keys, pocket-sized photographs and handwritten notes hang from metal clips on the kiosk’s grid. On a recent visit, an old vacuum cleaner lay on the bench.

People sit on the benches to absorb the sun, and passing pedestrians frequently stop and browse through the posted items.

Ms. Weber said that people have indeed found missing belongings. “Sometimes they post a thank-you card in my Vindhek. My neighbor found her keys she had lost skating in Vondelpark.”

Left, Ardi Eleveld; right, Joel Weickgenant Left, passersby browse the lost items at the Vindhek on Amsterdam’s Kinkerstraat. Right, keys await their owners.

Source: http://globespotters.blogs.nytimes.com/author/joel-weickgenant/
Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company NYTimes.com 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018

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When Art Meets the Lost-and-Found By Joel Weickgenant AMSTERDAM \| The Vindhek is conceptual art you can use — especially if you happen to have dropped, say, your keys. There’s something very Amsterdam about the installation. But Annemarieke Weber, the designer of the Vindhek — a series of fences and kiosks on which passersby can look for items they lost somewhere in the city — said the invention is based on universal values: honesty, respect, the art of looking after your fellow human. The instructions are simple: “Find your lost object, add a found one.” Certainly convenient for the traveler who, say, loses track of her favorite pair of shades during a walk through the Vondelpark, one of Amsterdam’s 30 parks. “Everybody, young and old, starts to smile when they see it,” said Ms. Weber, of her contraptions, which she translates as “Findfence.” “They recognize it immediately and subconsciously. Only yesterday two men of 70 stood there smiling: ‘this is a wonderful idea,’ they said.’ ” The displays sit in a few of Amsterdam’s more distinctive neighborhoods. The original is a ready-made art project, using existing fences within the confines of the Vondelpark. When the weather is cold, the fences can be a heartwarming sight, often adorned with rows of scarves, hoodies and gloves. Along the Kinkerstraat, in the heart of Amsterdam’s gentrifying Oud West district, a brand new installation bears a much more interactive design. A cylindrical kiosk is topped with a metal cover bearing the Vindhek’s instructions, and circled by wooden benches. Lost keys, pocket-sized photographs and handwritten notes hang from metal clips on the kiosk’s grid. On a recent visit, an old vacuum cleaner lay on the bench. People sit on the benches to absorb the sun, and passing pedestrians frequently stop and browse through the posted items. Ms. Weber said that people have indeed found missing belongings. “Sometimes they post a thank-you card in my Vindhek. My neighbor found her keys she had lost skating in Vondelpark.” Left, Ardi Eleveld; right, Joel Weickgenant Left, passersby browse the lost items at the Vindhek on Amsterdam’s Kinkerstraat. Right, keys await their owners. Source: http://globespotters.blogs.nytimes.com/author/joel-weickgenant/ Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company NYTimes.com 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018 terug naar Media home		Design Media Photo Blog Publicatielijst Internationaal Vrienden van het Vindhek HOME

When Art Meets the Lost-and-Found