Opening | Wunderkammer van het Kleine Gebaar

The Wunderkammer in the hall of de Doelen concert hall is here to stay. After the J.A. Deelder installation and its successor in which the gigantic viewing box was filled with hundreds of stuffed animals, this spring it is time for the third edition of the Doelen Wunderkammer. Again with curator Mieke van der Linden and artist AMC Fok as the driving forces behind the new concept. This new Wunderkammer will also surprise and perhaps also, like the previous one, offer some comfort and a little cheer to visitors to the Doelen. 

More than 3000 postcards 
For the 3rd edition of the Wunderkammer, AMC Fok is creating a new special installation with more than 3000 postcards. Cards from Austria, Edinburgh and the States. Cards from HNI, MoMa and Tate Modern. Vintage Valentine postcards and cards from the Doelen. Scantily clad ladies at the beach, a lighthouse, a sweet little dog, a crocodile. The Jewish Bride from the Rijksmuseum, the Tower of Babel from Boijmans, 80's pop stars, Hollywood moviestars, Charles & Diana...The collection is huge and gives an interesting picture about times gone by. 

the Small Gesture 
The newspapers are full of columns on how to survive today's frightening times. The advice is endless. Don't throw in the towel, take lots of walks, have conversations with strangers, don't watch TV but read a book, seek happiness in small things. 
One of the simplest actions is to send a postcard to friends, acquaintances, neighbors. A cheerful little gesture to let them know that the other is thought of. A sweet gesture for both sender and recipient. 
van der Linden: "More and more people seem to want to go back to square one. They leave social media, try to dose the terrible news from both home and abroad, start reading serious books again instead of endlessly scrolling and watching doom talk shows." The third edition has been titled The Wunderkammer of the Small Gesture. 

The Doelen Letterbox
What can you expect in the Wunderkammer this time? After the grand opening on Thursday, April 23 at 4 p.m., visitors to the Doelen can marvel daily at a huge collection of postcards. This has been brought together with the help of the Municipal Archives, design studio 75B, NAi Booksellers and, of course, the Doelen itself.

You'll undoubtedly recognize many tourist spots, perhaps shoot into laughter at some “humorous” cards, or shed a tear at a nostalgic image of Rotterdam. Hollywood and the Royal Family are well represented, as are the sugar-sweet love portraits of yesteryear. And of course there are classic Doelen cards to admire.

You'll have the chance to grab a postcard from a rack, already stamped with a stamp specially designed for the occasion. Write a message on it and address it to a good friend, a dear relative or even a vague acquaintance. Throw the card in the special Target Letterbox - the creator of this project empties it regularly and makes sure that your card is actually sent in the mail. And yes, it really will be delivered, by a real letter carrier.

Van der Linden: "A simple moment of happiness, especially when you know that the letter carrier will visit the addressee with the handwritten message. You can really gloat about that for a few days. Also like that, writing a message by hand, making an effort to come up with a beautiful handmade message for the other person - who wouldn't want to receive that?"