2020
Silver, Masterpieces of Delft silver 1590-1800
An exhibition of the finest silver made in Delft between 1590 and 1800, brought together at Museum Prinsenhof Delft. The graphic pattern used across the exhibition and its communication is built from the makers' marks stamped into the silver itself.
The exhibition was designed by Evelyne Merkx and Abbie Steinhauser as an intimate dark-blue world. The space is built from a collage of second-hand cabinets with vitrines fitted inside, finished throughout in high-gloss paint: the kind of furniture silver has always lived in, kept at home to be admired. Against that deep reflective ground the objects catch and return the light. The design was conceived for reuse, with as much as possible carried over into the next exhibition. Working in close collaboration with the architects and makers, the graphic language was developed to hold across every surface of that environment.
The back of the cabinets have peepholes fitted with magnifying lenses, letting visitors examine the silver in close-up. A set of illustrations was made to accompany them.
Exhibition design: Evelyne Merkx & Abbie Steinhauser
Lettering and Prints: Riwi Collotype
Photography: © Roos Aldershoff Fotografie
Animation: Ronald van Vessem
Exhibition Identity Illustration
