Based on joint live meetings, instructional videos and reference material, this course centred on inner and creative reflection. At the same time, participants learned more about the work of Koolhaas and Vriesendorp, as well as their sources of inspiration. Madelon Vriesendorp has become known as a painter and co-founder of the agency OMA, but she is also a collector with an unlimited fascination for the things with which we surround ourselves. Vriesendorp regularly collaborates with her daughter Charlie Koolhaas, who recently published the book City Lust, in which she advocates local diversity in response to growing urban standardization.
Charlie Koolhaas and Madelon Vriesendorp explain: “Over the course of a week, you are going to design a room that reflects the discovery of your inner world. Here, no one is your critic, except yourself. You will situate this room in your dream surroundings (for example, a forest, garden, lake, ocean, or town) and place within it the objects that symbolise your psychic transformation." After that, participants played with the results in a game called ‘Home Analysis Kit’, designed by Madelon Vriesendorp. They analysed each other’s room, with Freudian, Jungian or an entirely personal and completely new system of analytical rules.
The course consisted of three live meetings, optional daily live check-ins, instructional videos and reference materials, which were all presented in a private Facebook group. Participants had the whole week to work on their personal rooms.
11/05/2020, 20:00-21:00 Introducing the course and setting the stage
13/05/2020, 20:00-21:00 A focus on symbolism and your choice of symbols
15/05/2020, 20:00-21:00 Playing the mind game: interpret the scene
Participants on the course:
"The premise of the course was extremely interesting, and the guidance provided by Vriesendorp and Koolhaas was a marvellous blend of openness and inclusivity with a thoughtful reflection on the projects themselves."
"A strong combination of lightweight talk and heavy theory, content to study, quality artists. The assignment being spread over a few days worked out well, gave me the chance to go a bit deeper. The combination with Facebook kept the group going, I loved that."
"The out-of-the-box assignment triggered me to enroll. The schedule (three meetings during the week) worked very well for me. A plus for me was working at home in my own time without stimulus from others. The Zoom sessions were great moments to see and react to others' work."
