De Doelen Wunderkammer van het Kleine Gebaar opent haar deuren
A Fixture in de Doelen Lobby
The Wunderkammer has become an integral part of the concert hall lobby at de Doelen. Following the J.A. Deelder installation and its successor—featuring a giant diorama filled with hundreds of stuffed animals—this spring marks the arrival of the third edition. Once again, curator Mieke van der Linden and artist AMC Fok are the driving forces behind this new concept: The Wunderkammer of the Small Gesture. As before, this new Wunderkammer promises to surprise and, like its predecessors, may offer a sense of comfort and a little joy to visitors of de Doelen.
Softness and Solace
Since autumn of last year, visitors of de Doelen in Rotterdam have been able to marvel at the Wunderkammer of Softness and Solace in the building’s main hall. A life-sized diorama, filled entirely with stuffed animals from the collections of curator Mieke van der Linden and artist AMC Fok. The latter created a unique installation with dozens of bears, cats, dogs, rabbits, and even some very soft stingrays and dodos.
The appreciation from the public is clearly evident in the Wunderkammer’s guestbook: “So sweet!” and “What a wonderful idea, I took a photo with the big bear,” and “In these difficult times, everyone needs a hug!”
Lekker Geven
All good things must come to an end. Thus, Wunderkammer No. 2 recently closed its doors—but not before all those beloved stuffed animals found a new home.
Part of the collection returned home with the creators, another portion was donated to a fellow artist who creates beautiful works from them, and no fewer than 30 charming specimens are now available at the Doelen Shop. There, visitors can adopt a cuddly toy for €10 and support the charitable foundation Lekker Geven by street doctor Michelle van Tongerloo.
More Than 3,000 Postcards
For the third edition of the Wunderkammer, art director AMC Fok is creating a new and remarkable installation using more than 3,000 postcards. Cards from Austria, Edinburgh, Istanbul, and the U.S. Cards from HNI, MoMA, and Tate Modern. Vintage Valentine’s Day cards and ones from de Doelen itself. Scantily clad women at the beach, a lighthouse, a cute dog, a crocodile. The Jewish Bride from the Rijksmuseum, The Tower of Babel from Boijmans, 80s pop stars, Hollywood icons, Charles & Diana...
The collection is enormous and offers a fascinating window into days gone by.
The Small Gesture
Newspaper columns overflow with advice on how to survive these daunting times. Suggestions abound: stay active, talk to strangers, switch off the TV and read a book, find joy in small things.
One small and simple act is sending a postcard to a friend, neighbor, or acquaintance—a cheerful gesture to let someone know they’re being thought of. A kind act for both sender and recipient. And so much more personal than a quick online message, because the sender took the time for this analog note.
Van der Linden explains: “More and more people seem to want to go back to basics. They leave social media, try to limit the flood of bad news, and start reading real books again instead of endlessly scrolling or watching gloomy talk shows.”
The third edition is titled The Wunderkammer of the Small Gesture.
de Doelen Mailbox
So what can visitors expect this time? Following the festive opening on April 23 at precisely 15:00, visitors can explore this enormous postcard collection daily in the lobby of de Doelen. The collection was assembled with the help of the City Archives, design studio 75B, NAi Booksellers, the Center for Visual Arts Rotterdam, Studio Binck, GrootZus, and of course, de Doelen itself.
Visitors will recognize countless tourist destinations, laugh at some of the “humorous” cards, and perhaps shed a tear at a nostalgic image of Rotterdam. Hollywood and the Royal Family are well represented, as are the sugary sweet love portraits of days past. For the occasion, classic Doelen postcards have also been reprinted.
Guests can choose a postcard from a rotating stand—already stamped with a custom-designed postage stamp by AMC Fok—write a message, and address it to a dear friend, relative, or casual acquaintance. Cards are collected in a specially designed Doelen mailbox, regularly emptied by the creator of the project and mailed via regular post. A real postman then delivers the card to its final destination.
Van der Linden adds: “A moment of pure happiness—especially when you know the postman will be delivering a handwritten message. That’s something to look forward to for days. Taking the time to write a thoughtful note by hand... who wouldn’t want to receive that?”
