An orchestra made up of electromagnetic machines, pneumatic hammers and porcelain speakers. It may sound like something from the future, but it became reality last weekend in Koelhuis (cool house) – formerly known as the Campinahuis (campina house). Briefly, the Eindhoven building was transformed into a living instrument for the performance “Het Geluid van Erfgoed” (“the sound of heritage”).
It may sound complicated, but it’s not, according to artist Daniel Maalman.
“You can actually think of it as the sound of a material. If you tap on a table, you hear the sound of wood. If you tap on a window, you hear the sound of glass. And so this building is also a collection of ingredients”, the face behind Foundscape Orchestra explains. “And if you closed your eyes, you would hear the sound of the past”, Arnold van de Water of Koelhuis Eindhoven adds.
Fortress
But few Eindhoven residents will have recognised that sound from the past. After all, the former freezehouse, where it was minus 30 degrees at the time to keep ice cream cool, was only accessible to a handful of Campina employees.
“We should be very grateful for the heritage we have. Especially here in Eindhoven. We are so spoiled with beautiful industrial buildings, but we have to be careful that they don’t disappear too fast. It was our mission last weekend to throw open the heritage building that everyone cycled past at some point and show it to the city”, Van de Water explains.
The event also marked one of the last times Eindhoven citizens were able to see the Campinahuis in its old state. The building and the surrounding grounds are undergoing a transformation. This will include affordable housing and the former freezehouse will become a place where makers and visitors can meet.
Source: Studio040
Translated by: Bob
