Sleep!

Sleep—so familiar, yet so strange. Like eating and drinking, it’s a basic necessity of life. A daily, recurring phenomenon to which you devote a third of your life, guided by an internal biological clock. During sleep, your brain is “cleansed,” causing connections between brain cells to change; some connections become stronger, allowing you to remember things. And, not unimportantly, sleep also helps reduce the intensity of stress and emotions. Science has already discovered a great deal, but not everything—and that’s why it remains an intriguing subject in the realm of the arts as well. The family exhibition Sleep! Starting on August 24, 2024, it took visitors on a brief exploration of the vast realm of sleep and dreams, as seen through the eyes of some fifty visual artists and designers. They allowed visitors to experience the essential importance and the privilege of rest.

The expo fits well into the series of low-threshold but fascinating themed exhibitions with which the Amersfoort-based Kunsthal KAdE has distinguished itself for years. (FD Personal)

WAKE SLEEP DREAM REPEAT

In the exhibition, visitors moved through the four stages of sleep: from drowsiness to light sleep, then on to deep sleep, and—as if sleepwalking through a dream—into a large dormitory where the bed takes center stage. From enchanting to sometimes harrowing sleeping places depicted in paintings and sculptures—such as a bed shaped like a grater by Mona Hatoum, Hans van Bentem’s heavenly bed, or the painted self-portrait of a sleeping Teun Hocks in a moving box. Not everyone has an ideal sleep cycle; stress and anxiety often lead to disorders such as insomnia and nightmares. To explore this darker side of sleep, visitors took a detour through the “Sleep/Wake” room. There, they encountered the haunting work Tired by Aalt van de Glind, which deals with his girlfriend’s chronic fatigue. Afterward, visitors could, if they wished, begin a second tour of the exhibition to undergo a second or third sleep cycle, continuing until—hopefully—they left the exhibition feeling completely refreshed!

Why do we sleep the way we sleep? The Amersfoort-based Kunsthal KAdE seeks an answer to that question with a dream of an exhibition, in which you can - sometimes literally - sink completely. (Nederlands Dagblad)

Slumber / light sleep / deep sleep / dream

In slumber there is the mysterious blue hour, the transition between day and night (and vice versa) depicted by Yasmijn Karhof and Merel Karhof in their work The Blue Hour. Sarah Mei Herman captures the special sensitive dozing state of consciousness between wakefulness and sleep (hypnagogia). The feeling of light sweet sleep, is very sensitively expressed in the face in cast glass made by Leiko Ikemura. The feeling of falling into a deep sleep shows the video 'Sleeping Beauty' by Carlijn Jacobs very nicely. In deep REM sleep, your brain comes to rest, and creative connections are forged. Mladen Stilinović created this self-portrait series of a sleeping artist in 1978. The work is aptly called: Artist at Work.

On their journey through Dreamland, visitors come across the artwork Threshold of Complexity by Harm van den Berg. The deep black background as the representation of the sleep state, while the white drawn networks evoke associations with the unconscious brain processes during different sleep stages.

Additional location Mannenzaal

During the exhibition Sleep! On specific days in September and October 2024, you could visit the historic Mannenzaal at Westsingel 47 in Amersfoort of the St. Pieters and Bloklands Gasthuis. Built in 1531, de Mannenzaal with accompanying Chapel still has 22 original box beds, allowing visitors to get a unique idea of how the guests lived here. Every summer Living History Foundation bring the past to life in the Men's Hall. They depict history through demonstrations of daily life. During the exhibition Sleep! For a month, various works of art were on display in the Men's Hall.

In the chapel you found a giant rag doll made by artist Frank Koolen that you were allowed to hug. The doll is clearly no longer new. It seems to have been held and cuddled endlessly until its owner fell asleep. A repetitive hummable singing caught your attention; leaving you with the enigmatic Adrift was sucked in from filmmaker Julika Rudelius. And you could meet Voulez-Vous Coucher, the interactive installation by playwright Carolien Arnold. There was also an extensive public program.

On various occasions (September 28, 2024 (premiere), October 5, 12, and 19, 2024) the performance—created especially for the exhibition—was presented Voulez-Vous Coucher performed that was developed by theater maker Carolien Arnold and the MAAT Saxophone Quartet, commissioned by September Me and Kunsthal KAdE.

Public Program Kunsthal KAdE

During the exhibition, there were all kinds of activities for young and old centered around the theme of sleep. From the weekly introductory tour, yoga among the artworks, and children’s tours, to sleepwalking with the Amersfoort Guides, as well as many more workshops, tours, and activities. Also in the KAdEStudio You could try out bedtime stories and sleeping positions for yourself, and discover lots of sleep-inducing facts. 

What is your superpower?

For families with children ages 6–12, the exhibition featured Sleep! for the first time the family route SUPERKUNST! (free) to borrow. Did you know that works of art have superpowers? Through conversation starters, imagination exercises, and games, visitors and their families discover the superpowers of art together. 

Summary

The family exhibition Sleep! took you on a brief exploration of the vast realm of sleep and dreams, through the eyes of some fifty visual artists and designers. For a moment, a different time reigned here. You journeyed through the four stages of sleep—from drowsiness to light sleep, on to deep sleep—and “sleepwalked” through the dream to the main hall, where the bed took center stage. Or you might have taken a detour through Sleep/Wake, because not everyone has an ideal sleep cycle. Stress and anxiety often lead to insomnia and sleep problems. If you wished, you could take a second tour to experience a second sleep cycle, repeating the process until—hopefully—you left the exhibition feeling completely refreshed!

Catalog

A small illustrated catalog was published to accompany the exhibition. ISBN: ISBN/EAN: 978-94-90153-39-7