You are here - History of the Glaspaleis
You are here was a semi-permanent presentation on the history of the Glaspaleis on the vide in the main hall. The presentation told the story of the Glaspaleis, of its architecture and of its various interpretations over the years.
Where
SCHUNCK Glaspaleis
Price
€ 0,-
By means of photos, texts, archive material and objects, the visitor got an insight into the history of the iconic building. For the exhibition design SCHUNCK cooperated with Paulien Berendsen, Studio Parade.
The exhibition was realised in a co-production of SCHUNCK with Rijckheyt, centre for regional history, and could be visited on the vide in the hall of the Glaspaleis. On display were, among other things, photographs, documents and objects from all the different periods of the existence of the Glaspaleis. Supplemented by video and sound clips.
“We think it is very important to tell the story of the Glaspaleis that lives in the memories of so many people of Heerlen and is a recognizable landmark for many. Previous exhibitions such as ‘Ik verzamel‘ (Marc Volger, 2014) or ‘The Post-Industrials’ (also a co-production with Rijckheyt, 2017-2018) led to many positive reactions from visitors who recognised themselves or a piece of their city's shared history. Many of our visitors also indicate a great interest in the story and construction of this striking building. That is why we are now setting up a place where this history gets the spotlight", said Patricia van den Ende, senior curator at SCHUNCK. “There are so many stories inside these glass walls. Not only from the Schunck department store where the first elevator of Heerlen could be found, but also from lesser-known periods such as the short time that artists and anti-squat residents used the building as a studio and home. We would like to record, preserve these stories and give them back to the city and its visitors.”
The exhibition design was in the hands of Paulien Berendsen of Studio Parade, who previously realized exhibitions for the Dutch Design Awards, the Stedelijk Museum Den Bosch, Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen and the Cuypershuis in Roermond. For the setup, she was inspired by the concept of 'showcase' – which is inextricably linked to the original function of the Glaspaleis as a department store – and brought the story in various display cabinets in a playful way. The visitor was able to ‘discover’ the story by opening various drawers of those elements of the story that he or she wanted to know more about.
practical information
The exhibition 'You are here - the history of the Glaspaleis' was on display from 22 February 2023 until 5 January 2025.
The exhibition was made in co-production with Rijckheyt | Centre for Regional History.