In ‘Imaginings’ we present the highlights of Kiki van Eijk’s oeuvre in a unique way. Kiki collaborated with set and spatial designer Theun Mosk – who is known for his eye-catching designs for theatre productions as well as his independent installations – to create an experience that appeals to your senses. Together, they challenge you to step into the wondrous world of Kiki and playfully discover her designs.⁠⁠

Photo: Willeke Machiels

“The experience that Theun Mosk gained from the theatre industry is woven into the exhibition.” – Kiki van Eijk

Creative cross-pollination

During the creation of the exhibition ‘Imaginings’ different ways of thinking came together by combining the expertise of designer Kiki van Eijk, set designer Theun Mosk and the TextielMuseum’s curator Suzan Russeler. ⁠⁠According to Kiki van Eijk, this creative cross-pollination has greatly improved the public experience of the exhibition: “The experience that Theun Mosk gained from the theatre industry is woven into the exhibition. He designed light effects that keep on shifting, each time in an unexpected way. This stimulates visitors to change their focus and playfully discover things they haven’t noticed before. In this way, the exhibition appears to be much more spacious and is experienced differently by each visitor.”⁠⁠

Photo: Willeke Machiels

The perfect harmony

As a scenographer, it’s Theun Mosk’s job to shape a complete experience in a space to bring a story to life for the audience, whether it concerns the story of an opera, theatre performance or a museum exhibition.⁠⁠
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Theun about his role in this exhibition: “For a theatre performance I design the mise-en-scène for the actors and directors. In this exhibition I do the same, but for the museum visitor. So for me, the spatial design of an exhibition is more than just determining the colour of the walls. It’s the perfect harmony between light and sound that creates a completely different experience of the exhibited works.”⁠⁠

Photo: Willeke Machiels

The signature

Theun Mosk sees a strong comparison between his work and the vision of Kiki van Eijk as a designer: “Many artists and designers use a recurring technique or method to create their own signature. This is different for Kiki, she works from a fascination for a certain material and then deeply investigates how to shape that particular material and make it her own. This results in very diverse works. This approach appeals to me as a scenographer, I design sets for completely different purposes, yet there is always a signature.” ⁠⁠
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The different ‘worlds’ that Kiki van Eijk creates with her designs inspired Theun Mosk to shape the space of the exhibition: “In the beginning, the idea of the TextielMuseum and Kiki was to present her work chronologically. I argued for sections containing one type of material or work; tapestries together in one space, ceramics in another, to enhance the contrast between the different worlds that Kiki creates.⁠⁠”

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Would you like to know more about ‘Imaginings’? Read more about the exhibition. Are you curious to experience the wondrous world of Kiki van Eijk yourself? The exhibition is on show until the 12th of September 2021 (click here for the latest covid-measures).