How do contemporary designers look at building practices from the past? For this sixth edition of the exhibition series Unfolding the Archives, Rotor, UGent and the Flanders Architecture Institute take you into the world of designer Marcel Raymaekers (b. 1933).
The architecture of Marcel Raymaekers distinguishes itself from the familiar Belgian post-war architecture by consisting almost exclusively of salvaged materials. He developed an extensive oeuvre from the 1960s onwards with materials such as boulders from the Meuse valley or columns and porches from demolished churches. . This extensive reuse places him in an age-old building tradition, but it also makes him a maverick of his time, a pioneer in circular construction.
At the heart of his design practice was the Queen of the South (1972), a commercial yard specializing in ‘historical style objects’ combined with a café and restaurant. For more than fifty years, The Queen of the South in Genk was the material and creative breeding ground for Raymaekers’ architecture. It is where he received clients and where he stocked materials which were in turn sold on as DIY kits.
"I gradually came to realise that an architect who designs on a drawing board, on tracing paper, and draws two-dimensionally can never succeed, because you have to think three-dimensionally."‐ Marcel Raymaekers
This exhibition focuses on some of the key flows of materials in Raymaekers’ work. These movements from source to architectural implementation are illustrated with original objects, archival documents and new photographic material.
Come discover Raymaekers' work and be surprised by the unlimited possibilities of circular construction.
The exhibition is part of a broader research project led by Rotor and UGent. A publication will follow later. It will collect and present Raymaekers’ oeuvre in book form for the first time.
06.09.2023-17.03.2024
From Wednesday to Sunday - 02:00 pm until 7:00 pm and during evening performances until 10:00 pm
€5 (tickets online and on site)
€0 (students, -19-year, kansentarief/omnio-statuut and ICOM, tickets only on site)
DE SINGEL (Expo)
Desguinlei 25, 2018 Antwerpen (BE)
Rotor en UGent | Stijn Colon, Lionel Devlieger, Arne Vande Capelle en Robbe Van der Mynsbrugge
Flanders Architecture Institute
the Flemish Community
There are spaces reserved for wheelchair users in all halls of DE SINGEL. Please contact us in advance at tickets@desingel.be so that we can reserve a space for you. You can use an elevator to reach the halls. Enter through the main entrance of DE SINGEL and make your way down the ramp to the left of the stairs to take the lift. Read more about the accessibility
