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MX13 www.mx13.nl

School Church Garmerwolde

By 27-06-2020

In the hamlet of Garmerwolde, less than 10 kilometers from the Groninger Martinitoren, there is a thirteenth-century church with a robust, freestanding bell tower. Anyone entering the old tower will be surprised by two bright white spiral staircases, a design by architectural firm MX13. These towers stand like a minimalist statement in the space walled by stone bricks, an encounter between the 21st century and the Middle Ages.

The converted tower is part of an educational project of Museum Catharijneconvent under the heading Party Time! Know what you’re celebrating. With this project, the Catharijneconvent together with local partners want to introduce the backgrounds of religious traditions to the Dutch youth. At ten locations in the Netherlands, primary school pupils can discover and understand something about religious festivals. In fact, Party Time! In East and West is a vertical museum wing, in which four Christian and four Islamic festivals are depicted.

By climbing one staircase and later descending again along the other one makes a voyage of discovery along the eight religious festivals. The ascending stairs leads along Christmas, Easter, Laylat al-Qadr (Night of the Decision) and Ascension. When descending, visitors pass Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr (The Feast of Breaking the Fast), Eid al-Adha (Feast of Sacrifice) and Pentecost.

Studio 212 Fahrenheit depicted these religious holidays by looking for new symbols instead of descriptions, or using existing images. The modern imagery is not only educational, but it is also visually stimulating.

Photos: Peter de Kan
Drone photo: Ismaël Lotz
Photos exhibition: Roelof Bos