Artlab will present the Wake Up! project in September and October.

Karel Bodegom (Design), Pim Piët (Visual Arts), and Paul de Mol (Film) will be using the Albert Vogelzaal as a temporary space for four weeks and are inviting members from all departments to contribute ideas on how to set it up.

The Artlab opens on September 26. The program follows the stages of sleep and waking up, from the world of dreams to daydreams.

Each week is dedicated to a different art form.

Program

• Week 1, September 23–27: Dream World, a spatial exploration by the Design Department.
• Week 2, September 30 through October 4: Sleepwalking, a written experience by the Literature Department.
• Week 3, October 7–11: Waking Up, about realizing where you are, by the Music Department.
• Week 4, October 14–18: Daydreaming, about the boundary between reality and fiction, by the Film Department.

Each week features an evening program. The first afternoon/evening event takes place on Sunday; the rest are on Thursday.

• Sunday, September 27, 3:00–5:00 p.m.: Design
• Thursday, October 1, 8:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.: Literature
• Thursday, October 8, 8:00–10:00 p.m.: Music
• Thursday, October 15, 8:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.: Film

On Saturday, October 17, a housewarming party will mark the end of our temporary stay in the Albert Vogelzaal.

A HOUSE IN THE MAKING

A process like this begins from within, by creating a project that, from the perspective of the Art Circle, can be seen as a calling card for what the association stands for. That requires an openness to conversation, discussion, and a different approach to presentation.

In this edition of Artlab, Bodegom, Piët, and De Mol bring this concept to life by treating the upper gallery—the Albert Vogelzaal—as their home, which they will attempt to furnish over the course of four weeks. At the opening on September 26, therefore, there will be very little there yet, since they have just received the key.

From the two windows in the room, one’s gaze falls on the people walking along Denneweg. Paul de Mol describes that first impression as follows: “I am divided between the two windows through which I look outside.” Karel Bodegom mounted a fluorescent tube onto which a 55.5-centimeter text about this house is yet to be added, and Pim Piët designed a stamp and postcard to invite everyone to the housewarming party at the end of the temporary stay.

During the renovation, members of the various HKK departments—Design, Humanities, Theater, Music, and Film—are invited to contribute their ideas and help with the renovation of this house.

The opening on Saturday, October 17, is therefore actually the second-to-last day of the temporary stay. In the weeks leading up to it, work will be done on the interior design, with the goal of hosting a housewarming party on the 17th. In the meantime, members from all departments are invited to contribute ideas on how to use the space, and evenings are being organized to make plans about what this house can mean for the landlord, the Haagse Kunstkring.

The organizers are also aware that they’ll have new neighbors that month. But why shouldn’t an art club collaborate with a musical performance, when that has, in fact, always been the association’s identity? In that sense, this edition of Artlab is a first step. It is not a sales exhibition, but a source of inspiration to start thinking differently about the HKK and the way things are run there.

Stamp and Postcard Campaign

For Wake Up, Pim Piët designed a stamp that evokes a flight of the imagination. The stamps will be available for purchase from HKK gallery staff starting Wednesday, September 21 (debit card payments only) or (earlier) by sending an email to Paul de Mol and transferring 6 euros to account number NL45ABNA0899020194 in the name of P.S. de Mol, noting “Artlab Wake Up.” A single stamp costs 6 euros; a signed sheet of five stamps in an envelope costs 30 euros.

The stamp or card also serves as an admission ticket for the evening programs.

In addition, members can create an A6-sized card (14.8 by 10.4 centimeters) for the art post office that will be set up during Art The Hague in October. Cards can be turned in at the gallery through October 11.

The cards are sold there for 15 euros, with proceeds going to the HKK and to promote the experiment and the participating artists. When a card is sold, the artist receives 9 euros.

During the opening days, we welcome ideas for Thursday evenings in September and October.

For more information, please contact Paul de Mol, also on behalf of Karel Bodegom and Pim Piët