Exhibition/Tour “Veenhuizen: Decoding the Landscape”
In May 2025, the Design Academy Eindhoven's SI-LAB and its partners in Veenhuizen, including the National Prison Museum, Province of Drenthe, Municipality of Noordenveld, De Nieuwe Rentmeester, Drents Archief, Ketter&Co, and PI Veenhuizen, convened at the Nationaal Gevangenis Museum. This gathering showcased the work of three SI-LAB researchers.
This research is funded by several partners through a Design Deal—a decade-long collaboration between DAE, spearheaded by Irene Fortuyn, and stakeholders in Veenhuizen. Led by DAE, the initiative unites design-researchers and local stakeholders to explore the historical transformation of Veenhuizen from a Benevolence Colony to a prison town, culminating in its current status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. SI-LAB's research focuses on the value of archival research within the design discipline and the value of design for engaging (new) publics in archival research. Through an interdisciplinary collaboration between a historian and a designer, SI-LAB explores innovative storytelling methods, such as deep mapping and locative immersive experiences, to make parts of the archive experiential and enhance engagement with the site’s rich and layered landscape and history.
Research Presentations
Presentation Olga Korosteleva: Landscape with a band-aid
Former Research Associate Olga Korosteleva presented “Landscape with a Band-aid”. She began her investigation from a highly subjective perspective, focusing on an emotional response triggered by the landscape and linking it to the concept of ecological trauma. Olga narrated the story of the landscape’s long history of wounds through a combination of text, poetry, and photography. She incorporated historical data on Veenhuizen’s material flows over the years, along with maps illustrating its structural layers—such as peat deposits and administrative boundaries—and reflected on how these layers continue to influence and shape the landscape experience today. Through her exploration, Olga emphasized the unique characteristics of the landscape that impact individual perceptions and experiences.
Presentation Freja Kræmmer Nielsen: Decoding the Landscape of Veenhuizen
Freja Kræmmer Nielsen presented her field research, together with the maps and diagrams that visualise how ecological and social structures in Veenhuizen changed over time. She introduced the three key agents she identified and focused on in her study: management, voluntary inhabitants, and involuntary inhabitants. She looked at how the experience of the place was dependent on the status and role one had and designed an immersive tour to enable people to experience and explore these perspectives firsthand using the landscape as a backdrop.
Presentation Jaïr Salomon van Dijk: A transnational space of cultural encounter and exchange
Jaïr van Dijk, introduced his first research into Veenhuizen. With a background in archival research, he presented his MA Thesis in History at the UvA where he examined client files from the social services in Amsterdam and court records. He studied not only what was written about individuals but also how this information was gathered: through standardized forms, observations by social workers, checklists for “character” or “decency,” and protocols regarding home visits. How was knowledge collected, and how was it constructed? By analyzing which questions were asked, how conclusions were drawn, and what language was used, it becomes clear that the archives themselves contribute to the shaping of knowledge and to a specific image of people, for example, concerning their morality.
For his research into Veenhuizen, he shared his initial archival findings, illustrating that Veenhuizen is much more than a typical Dutch village— it is a vibrant, dynamic space where multiple cultures intersected. He demonstrated how religious diversity coexisted within institutional boundaries and highlighted how Veenhuizen served as a hub of shared, often overlooked, international exchange. Recognizing these layers of diversity, Jaïr argues, is essential for reframing Veenhuizen not merely as a site of national disciplinary history, but as a transnational space of cultural encounter and exchange. He will continue this research track the coming half year.
Guided Tour → “Decoding Veenhuizen” by Freja Kræmmer Nielsen
Dressed as an agent with a suitcase, Freja took us on a simulated time travel adventure. Her tour, “Decoding Veenhuizen,” cast her as a time traveler sent by the monitoring agency of Veenhuizen. In a perfectly acted role, infused with humor, she invited participants to complete three assignments, each representing a different client: management, voluntary inhabitants, and patients from which she had to gather reports. Participants had the chance to step into the shoes of each client by performing specific tasks. During a feedback session, it became clear how assessments varied depending on the perspective, for example, one task involved determining the ideal hedge height to balance privacy with surveillance, while another focused on adjusting the height for ease of maintenance. This tour vividly demonstrated the different ways symbols and language use within the landscape can be interpreted, depending on one’s status and ranking.
