'Menagerie' / Swinhove Carecentre Zwijndrecht / 1999

Behind the main entrance of Carecentre Swinhove at Zwijndrecht, right beneath the high rise building there is a courtyard used by residents and attendants in fine weather. In the middle of this patio is a small booth. Along the walls there is a row of short trimmed robinias. Their stems are washed white. The booth consists of connected displays and showcases. Every side has different angles and points of view. The display cases are filled with natural history objects.
Mounted animals, lianas, fossils, shells and African sculptures are placed together in this unusual location and answer each other. A frozen mise en scene. An unusual wunderkammer telling a crazy tale. Many thoughts and memories are possible and will differ from person to person.

Size: 275 x 225 x 225 cm.
Material: 9 robinias, wood, glass, rocks, fossils, shells, mounted animals and specially prepared objects.
Commissioned by: Zorgcentrum Swinhove, Mondriaan Foundation.
The design of the booth was developed in cooperation with Frank Halmans.
The clothing of the monkey and the dog are designed and created by Martine Legouaïl.
The booth was built by Woodworks Amsterdam.