Palace Ruin

James Beckett rebuilds a fragment of the Paleis voor Volksvlijt. His installation serves as a stage for lectures and concerts.

The Paleis voor Volksvlijt (1864) burned down completely in 1929. A photograph from that time shows a side facade of the building after the fire-fighting effort, amidst a haze of smoke and debris. Beckett reconstructs this image in the form of a large sculpture that still seems to smolder and that recalls the moments immediately after the fire.

Beckett is interested in the industrial development of Europe. The artist became intrigued by the architecture of the Palace which was initially inspired on the Crystal Palace in London. The Palace was a construction that mainly consisted of steel and glass. This building method stood at the cradle of the so-called corporate architecture, as is presently more than evident on the Zuidas. Palace Ruin has in this sense been placed amidst its offspring on the Gustav Mahlerplein.