Anna van Gerve
writer, visual artist
articles
Work Home Apart Together: living and working in Amsterdam through the ages
De Witte Raaf edition 179, January-February 2016
This article discusses the exhibition WHAT? Work home apart together (curated by ARCAM and architectural historian Fred Feddes), which was on display in the former headquarters of the ING until 13 March 2016. De exposition responds to a new phenomenon, namely that more and more people want to bring living and working closer together. This need has arisen not only due to irritation about traffic jams and the desire for a more sustainable life, but also due to the fact that there are more and more freelancers, certainly in a city like Amsterdam. On the basis of themes such as the craft house, the official residence and the collective WHAT? shows a rich history of living and working forms that can be inspiring for the future. Moreover, this history is placed in a larger, urban context.
LEVS architects in the Netherlands and the Dogon
De Witte Raaf edition 178, November-December 2015
This article discusses the exhibition Two Worlds, One thought which was on display from September 14 to November 29 in the ABC Architectural Centre of Haarlem. In this exhibition, the Amsterdam architectural firm LEVS architecten, led by Marianne Loof, Adriaan Mout and Jurriaan van Stigt, mirrors its Dutch projects to those in the Dogon. The message is that, despite the enormous distance and the enormous cultural difference between the two countries, all projects are based on the same design philosophy. 'Both require craftsmanship', according to LEVS, 'knowledge of raw materials, insight into the local culture, a sense of aesthetics and an eye for what society needs.'
A new dialogue with nature. The position of Louis le Roy in the development of more natural public green spaces in the 1970s
Stadsgeschiedenis 9 (2014) 2, August 2015
In the 1970s, Louis G. le Roy (1924-2012) became known for his ecological experiments in public space. However, his autonomous project the Eco-Cathedral, to which he devoted himself completely from 1983 onwards, has by far generated the most attention in the professional literature. This entails the danger that Le Roy is portrayed as a loner and an outsider and not viewed in the context of garden and landscape architecture. It is highly questionable whether this characterisation of Le Roy does sufficient justice to his work and motivations. Based on three comparative analysis (with heemparks, nature parks and neighborhood greenery), this article shows how Le Roy's theory and practice related to thinking about and dealing with nature in the urban environment in the 1970s. In these way we can attain a better understanding of Le Roy's place within garden- and landscape architecture and of the value of his ideas for contemporary society.
Towards Biodiverse Cities
Research Project Building for Biodiversity, April 2015
At the moment, the Netherlands is not known as a country that is very progressive or active when it comes to increasing biodiversity in the city. However, this has not always been the case. In the 1970s, the Netherlands played a pioneering role in the field of ecological greenery in the urban context. Excursions were made to Dutch projects from England and Sweden, reports were written, symposia and workshops were organised and in our own country projects were developed. This fact prompted the creation of a timeline that includes all projects, persons, publications and events that are important for a development towards biodiverse cities. The book 'Towards biodiverse cities' provides a thematic and largely chronological overview of all parts of this timeline.
Towards Biodiverse Cities consists of the following chapters:
Instructive parks, Heemparks, Environmental Awareness, Nature Gardens, Urban Forestry, Self-organization & Community Participation, England, Sweden, Nurseries, Aesthetics & Perennials, Sustainable Development, Natural Playgrounds, Ecological Head Structure, Biodiversity, Urban Nature, Biodivercities
The Ring A10 Motorway a monument?
De Blauwe Kamer. Journal of Landscape Architecture and Urbanism No. 5 October 2014
"Without attention to the cultural dimension, we continue to see highways as a necessary evil that we would prefer to hide behind noise barriers", journalist Tijs van den Boomen once wrote in his book Asfaltreizen. During a debate on Open Monuments Day, he defended the controversial idea to declare the A10 ring road in Amsterdam a monument.
The new campus: meeting is key
Archined, March 3, 2014
During the architecture lecture 'The punchline of the campus', which Arcam organised on Monday 11 February, three speakers gave their vision on the campus. The starting point was the idea that encounters in physical space are essential for knowledge development and transfer and that innovation can be stimulated in this way. Which spatial means can you use to create chance encounters? How do you attach people to a place? What place can a campus occupy in the city? Answers to these questions were sought from three different angles - scientific research, design research and realised work. It was remarkable how much the discussion seemed to touch on the way in which architecture was thought of in the 1970s, without the speakers specifically referring to this. Meeting, small scale, multi-functionality: the themes from the seventies are back.
Robert Smithson: the world as a map
Simulacrum volume 22 no. 1, Natuur(lijk)
This article shows how cartography runs as a common thread through the work and thinking of Robert Smithson (1938-1973). In July 1966, Smithson was commissioned to create a sculptural work for Dallas-Fort Worth Airport in Texas. There he became mesmerized by the dialogue between inside and outside. While working at the airport, Smithson was surrounded by, amongst other things, aerial photographs and maps, materials he had never worked with before. From that moment on, he began to explore the possibilities of cartography in his work.
Wild animals in the Vatican. Pope Leo X, the elephant Hanno and Raphael
Other roads to Rome. New visions of art and culture from the Italian High Renaissance, 1 July 2013
This article examines the role that exotic animals played in the papal society of the 16th century. Pope Leo X possessed a rich animal collection, of which elephant Hanno was the public's favourite. After his death, he was commemorated with a life-size monument. But the other animals, such as lions, parrots and leopards, were also of great significance in the Vatican. They can be found all over the the walls of Biebiena's Loggetta and Rafael's Loggia. Exotic animals were part of a political imagery typical of Leo X and his de' Medici family.
The garden as an outdoor room – a comparison of three landscape architects in the Interbellum; Bergmans, Tersteeg and Ruys
Cascade Garden History Bulletin, October 25, 2013
This article shows that landscape gardener John Bergmans (1892-1980) was not only a 'plant man', but also worked from his own design principles.
The dark side of a perfect order
Archined, October 25, 2013
This is an article about the documentary 'Kleiburg, de Laatste Bijlmerflat' (2013, Jeroen Visser), 'Conversations in Milton Keynes' (2011, Ingo Baltes) and 'The Pedway, Elevating London' (2013, Chris Bevan Lee). All three show the shortcomings and decline of modernist urban planning, but a second life seems to be emerging.
Casa Malaparte, a Layered Building: Reception History from the 1940s to the Present
Article based on my bachelor thesis
Student Research Conference 2012
On the Italian island of Capri there is a villa that was built between 1938 and 1942: Casa Malaparte. This building has intrigued many. Over the years, different interpretations of the building have emerged. It has been called a masterpiece of the architect Adalberto Libera, a house of rites and rituals, a fortress of a writer and the pinnacle of architecture inspired by the local architectural style of the Mediterranean area. Central to this article is the question of how Casa Malaparte has been interpreted from its inception. I investigate where the interpretations differ from each other and how these differences can be explained. I limit myself to the interpretations of architectural historians and historians. In addition, I research whether there is a certain development in meaning and, if so, what the underlying reason is.
Crazy or Genius
hard//hoofd June 18, 2012
Andy Warhol had 600 cardboard time capsules, Glenn Gould took his blood pressure every day and refused to shake people's hands. Who is the madman, who is the genius, and who is actually the one that decides?