The Museum Quarter of The Hague rings in the new year with a magnificent spectacle, where mirrors transform the public space as part of the new Mirror Festival (Spiegelfestival).
Artists and designers from home and abroad bring a unique shine to the historic center around the Hofvijver with various reflective creations.
For over six weeks, from Saturday 18 January to Sunday 2 March, the works will be on display in public spaces free of charge, with a life-size mirror pavilion on the Lange Voorhout as the eye-catcher.
The Spiegelfestival not only adorns the city, it invites visitors for a moment of reflection, connection and interaction.
Walking route
Throughout the Museum Quarter, works will be found, on the Lange Voorhout, the Buitenhof, floating on the Hofvijver, on the Lange Vijverberg and in the Grote Marktstraat. All works together form a walking route through the centre, which can be found on denhaag.com
“Expect the unexpected,” says Mary Hessing, curator of the Spiegelfestival on behalf of The Hague & Partners. “The Spiegelfestival offers a wonderful walk along challenging art installations in the Museumkwartier and reflective decorations in the city center.”
Infinite reflections
On the Lange Voorhout, on the Kneuterdijk side, a mirrored pavilion will rise, constructed from a circle of mirrored stainless steel panels. It was created by the Danish design agency Urgent.Agency and previously stood in Copenhagen.
The work, Reflections in Common , not only reflects the stately architecture in its surroundings, but also enters into a dialogue with passers-by who can discover the natural elements within the work.
Mirror rain
The green character of The Hague is highlighted at the Buitenhof. The monumental trees here, dozens of lime trees, acacias and elms, are wrapped in reflective fringes during the Spiegelfestival. These are inspired by the work White Rain , in which Hyman & Herrero (New York/Los Angeles) decorated the palm trees of Miami, Florida.
Tied
The Royal Theatre is also being decorated. The building, which dates from the eighteenth century, originally served as a city palace and became a theatre in 1802.
The characteristic semi-circular facade is now festively decorated with two gigantic, mirrored bows by The Citydressers, known for a whole oeuvre of iconic bows in Amsterdam for locations such as Hoppe and The Collection.
Line play
On the Lange Vijverberg there will be an installation by Hague artist Marleen Sleeuwits in which she investigates the boundaries of perspective. For Enter The Cube , a reflective work of art, she was inspired by American artist Sol LeWitt. He created the relief on the side wall of the Fotomuseum Den Haag, in which he plays with the lines of a cube .
In addition to the installation on the Lange Vijverberg, Sleeuwits has the solo exhibition Enter the Cube at the Fotomuseum Den Haag (18 January to 5 May), which opens at the same time as the Spiegelfestival.
Mirror Festival
The Spiegelfestival, which can be experienced from 18 January to 2 March, is part of BinnenhofBuiten, a project by The Hague & Partners in which events and art exhibitions are developed in the Museumkwartier of The Hague during the renovation of the Binnenhof.
Featured photo: Arnoud, The Hague Online
Other photos: Renée, The Hague Online