{"id":2053,"date":"2025-06-20T16:45:04","date_gmt":"2025-06-20T16:45:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.www.good-broker.com\/?p=2053"},"modified":"2025-06-25T15:25:22","modified_gmt":"2025-06-25T15:25:22","slug":"kimsooja-celebrates-amsterdams-diversity-with-ethereal-installation-in-historic-oude-kerk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.www.good-broker.com\/index.php\/2025\/06\/20\/kimsooja-celebrates-amsterdams-diversity-with-ethereal-installation-in-historic-oude-kerk\/","title":{"rendered":"kimsooja celebrates amsterdam\u2019s diversity with ethereal installation in historic oude kerk"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bottari bundles symbolize amsterdam\u2019s diversity<\/h2>\n

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In the center of Amsterdam<\/strong><\/a>, Kimsooja<\/strong><\/a>\u2019s immersive installation To Breathe \u2014 Mokum transforms the city\u2019s historic Oude Kerk with textiles and ethereal light<\/strong><\/a>. The installation speaks to themes of migration, belonging, and the transient nature of home, offering a meditation on identity and cultural exchange.<\/p>\n

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At the work\u2019s heart are Kimsooja\u2019s iconic bottari \u2014 colorful textile bundles inspired by traditional Korean wrapping cloths. Spread across the ancient stone floor of the church<\/strong><\/a>, these bundles are filled with clothing donated by members of Amsterdam\u2019s diverse communities. Each piece of clothing represents the lives and stories of the people who contribute to the city\u2019s rich multicultural fabric. These textile bundles\u00a0serve as symbols of both personal and collective journeys, embodying the arrival and departure of individuals who have shaped the identity of the city over time.<\/p>\n

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Amsterdam is often described as a city of minorities as it holds within its borders people of more than 170 nationalities. The bottari honor this global mosaic, their vibrant colors a symbol of the city\u2019s role as a crossroads of cultures.<\/p>\n

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images \u00a9 Natascha Libbert<\/a><\/p>\n

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kimsooja employs Light as a Choreography of Color<\/h2>\n

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Alongside the symbolic textiles, artist<\/strong><\/a> Kimsooja\u2019s manipulation of light is equally integral to the experience of To Breathe \u2014 Mokum in Amsterdam. The 44,000 panes of glass in the Oude Kerk<\/a><\/strong> are covered with a transparent film designed to fracture sunlight into a spectrum of rainbow hues. The film\u2019s finely woven structure acts as a prism, breaking the light into its component colors and casting them onto the church\u2019s ancient interior. This ever-changing play of color moves across the space throughout the day, highlighting different architectural features \u2014 an arch, a gravestone, a pillar \u2014 creating a dynamic, shifting perspective.<\/p>\n

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The light itself becomes a guide, subtly leading the viewer\u2019s gaze through the space. Unlike traditional static lighting, this intervention shifts, creating a living landscape of color that reveals the church anew. In this new context, the church ceases to be merely a monument. It becomes an active, breathing entity, constantly changing with the movement of the sun.<\/p>\n

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Kimsooja\u2019s installation To Breathe \u2014 Mokum transforms Oude Kerk into a space of light and reflection<\/p>\n

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everchanging light transforms the oude kerk<\/h2>\n

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The radiant light of the Kimsooja installation evokes the Oude Kerk\u2019s Catholic history, where stained-glass windows once bathed the interior in a rich spectrum of colors. Kimsooja\u2019s use of light recalls this tradition while introducing a more universal form of illumination. By employing light as a medium, Kimsooja connects the church with a global network of places where light and color have served as symbols of spirituality, unity, and reflection.<\/p>\n

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Her work operates within this universal language of light, creating a bridge between diverse cultures and histories. As the light shifts and moves, it reflects the changing nature of the church, breathing life into its architectural form.<\/p>\n

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traditional Korean textile bundles are filled with clothing from Amsterdam\u2019s diverse communities<\/p>\n

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Kimsooja\u2019s installation is a reflection of this history, with particular attention paid to the waves of migrants who have settled in Amsterdam over the centuries. The title To Breathe \u2014 Mokum itself draws from the Yiddish word \u2018mokum,\u2019 which means \u2018city\u2019 or \u2018safe haven.\u2019 This was the term used by Jewish migrants who found sanctuary in Amsterdam, making the city a home and a place of refuge. Through the installation, Kimsooja connects the church to the broader narrative of migration in Amsterdam, where people from all over the world have sought a safe harbor.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

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the colorful textile bundles symbolize migration, identity, and the city\u2019s multicultural character<\/p>\n

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sunlight is broken into rainbow hues by transparent film on the church\u2019s 44,000 glass panes<\/p>\n

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the installation brings attention to Amsterdam\u2019s 750-year history as a city of migration and sanctuary<\/p>\n

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the ever-changing light highlights the church\u2019s architectural features<\/p>\n

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project info:<\/strong><\/p>\n

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name:\u00a0<\/strong>To Breathe \u2014 Mokum<\/p>\n

artist:\u00a0<\/strong>Kimsooja<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0@studiokimsooja<\/a><\/p>\n

location:\u00a0<\/strong>Oude Kerk<\/a> | @OudeKerkamsterdam<\/a>, Amsterdam, Netherlands<\/p>\n

on view:\u00a0<\/strong>May 23rd \u2014 November 9th, 2025<\/p>\n

photography:\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a9 Natascha Libbert<\/a> | @nataschalibbert<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

The post kimsooja celebrates amsterdam\u2019s diversity with ethereal installation in historic oude kerk<\/a> appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bottari bundles symbolize amsterdam\u2019s diversity \u00a0 In the center of Amsterdam, Kimsooja\u2019s immersive installation To Breathe \u2014 Mokum transforms the city\u2019s historic Oude Kerk with textiles and ethereal light. The installation speaks to themes of migration, belonging, and the transient nature of home, offering a meditation on identity and cultural exchange. \u00a0 At the work\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2055,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[15],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.www.good-broker.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2053"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.www.good-broker.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.www.good-broker.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.www.good-broker.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.www.good-broker.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2053"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/www.www.good-broker.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2053\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2062,"href":"http:\/\/www.www.good-broker.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2053\/revisions\/2062"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.www.good-broker.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2055"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.www.good-broker.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2053"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.www.good-broker.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2053"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.www.good-broker.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2053"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}