When envisioning The Hague, few would imagine dreaming of a floating garden on the picturesque Hofvijver pond, with supersized and vibrantly coloured inflatable artworks. Instead, one immediately conjures images of The Hague as a bastion of international law. The historic Binnenhof, home to the Dutch Houses of Parliament, stands sentinel beside the serene Hofvijver pond, epitomising the city's political gravitas. Yet, unbeknownst to many, The Hague's cultural richness rivals its political prominence. The city's Museum Quarter has the highest density of museums in The Netherlands—visitors can marvel at Vermeer's enigmatic Girl with a Pearl Earring (1665)—and from May 9 to June 2, 2024, take in the latest edition of vibrant inflatable artworks curated by Mary Hessing for BlowUp Art The Hague—a temporary, three-week outdoor immersive exhibition featuring artworks by leading Dutch designers. Previous editions featured site-specific inflatable artworks dotted through the streets of The Hague. “We need to do something different every year to keep people surprised. And I wanted to make a real statement. I was dreaming about a floating garden on the Hofvijver, which is a challenge. But lucky enough, we started early enough in the year,” Hessing said of the project.

In this third edition of BlowUp Art The Hague, Hessing's dream of a floating garden platoon on the Hofvijver pond came true. Students from Yuverta, a vocational agricultural knowledge provider, realised this under the guidance of ecological landscaper Deborah Treep and artist Frank Bruggeman. Hessing likened the living floating garden created by the students for this edition to a fifth work of art. The exhibition features profound yet playful inflatable artworks by four renowned Dutch designers—Studio Job, Marcel Wanders, Studio Mieke Meijer and Sigrid Calon. These inflatable marvels are not mere superficial spectacles. Nor do they exemplify the far more familiar blow-up bouncy castles and balloons we were accustomed to playing with as children. Instead, they embody poignant narratives, challenging preconceived notions of inflatables, design and politics.

“The beautiful thing about BlowUp is that it's not invasive. It's air and cloth. So you can make really big objects with it,” Hessing emphatically stated. Join STIR in conversation with the designers reshaping The Hague’s cityscape and inviting viewers to reconsider their notions of the inflatable world.

Studio Mieke Meijer —Arboretum

I think most people experience nature as something organic, where if you really dive deep into the strictness, it's very geometric. I think it's an interesting contrast. – Mieke Meijer

Mieke Meijer and Roy Letterlé, the visionary duo behind Studio Mieke Meijer, innovate sustainable design through Space Frames light objects. They merge architecture and design to push material boundaries while respecting construction logic. For BlowUp Art the Hague, they immersed themselves in a captivating inquiry, "What is a public garden without trees?" Their conversation with STIR unfolded into an exploration of trees as potent symbols, embodying diverse cultural perspectives and profound metaphors beyond their roles as sources of oxygen or manifestations of nature. Meijer noted, "I think most people experience nature as something organic, where if you really dive deep into the strictness, it's very geometric. I think it's an interesting contrast.”

Meijer and Letterlé’s design focused on distilling the essence of trees through meticulous attention to form and structure. Letterlé elucidated their process, which strikes a delicate balance between order and chaos, using a mathematical approach to simulate nature. They generated a rich array of distinct shapes by crafting a parametric equation—an algorithm—and tweaking parameters like diameter and branching stem patterns. Meijer highlighted an intriguing paradox in their designs: while trees are conventionally seen as vital oxygen sources, their inflatable counterparts rely on air merely to stand upright. This contrast underscores Studio Mieke Meijer's creations, challenging the logic of inflatable trees while invoking a subtle satire. Their creations evoke a sense of familiarity with nature, blurring the boundaries between artificial and natural aesthetics and inviting viewers to ponder the intricate interplay between structure and organic geometry in the world around them.

Sigrid Calon—Gazebo

Maybe it's about time to have a lady in the tower. – Sigrid Calon

Sigrid Calon is a former textile designer. Her work often comprises captivating visual mathematics with vibrant graphic patterns and employs minimalist repetition, constructing entire worlds from dots and dashes. In this edition of BlowUp Art The Hague, Calon’s Gazebo takes inspiration from the Binnenhof, home to the Dutch Houses of Parliament. Her homage to the prime minister's tower is visually striking in bright pink. It marks her inaugural foray into blow-up art, where she wanted to steer clear of associations with children's inflatable playhouses while remaining true to her colourful creative expositions.

In conversation with STIR, Calon revealed her creative process, "The location is truly impressive. Normally, my work leans towards abstraction, but I felt compelled to engage with the surroundings here. Everything here is impressive, but the prime minister's tower stands out as a focal point."

Calon elaborated on her desire to see increased female representation in parliament, "The historic gazebo has evolved over the years, and I saw an opportunity to symbolise change. “Maybe it's about time to have a lady in the tower…for more femininity, fostering openness, empathy and compassion."

Calon was fascinated by technique and materiality and opted for stencil printing to add depth, creating a gradient effect from light to dark. Her adept use of print effectively accentuates the gazebo's form, with the gradation adding layers of detail that shift with the viewer's proximity. It underscores her ability to merge artistic expression with nuanced commentary. Gazebo comments on gender diversity and inclusivity in positions of power, with Calon encouraging viewers to envision a future where every voice holds significance in the halls of political influence.

Marcel Wanders—Eggs 

Marcel Wanders, renowned for his avant-garde Knotted Chair (1996) that marked his international breakthrough, with a braided cord around a carbon fibre core, crafted using traditional macramé techniques. The design is an oversized homage to the miniature macramé seats found in dollhouses. He later established himself as a leading figure in Dutch design and founded the internationally acclaimed brand Moooi. His stimulating and provocative style continues to influence product design and interior design internationally. Wanders' work for this edition uses the egg as a recurring central motif. Wanders views the egg as a symbolic portrait of people in the heart of democracy. He intricately designs them to offer multiple perspectives, reflecting the complexity of human identity and interaction. Observing the decorated egg, one notices a distinct face from each angle. Wanders suggests that just as people engage in dialogue and debate, the eggs sway, representing the dynamic nature of democracy. Eventually, they stand upright again, symbolising resolution. He likens the cluster of mirrored eggs to a democracy, reflecting society's varied voices and opinions.

Studio Job—Like a Pan

Studio Job was founded and led by artist Job Smeets, a contemporary and sculptural art pioneer. Smeets, a trailblazer in his field, specialises in crafting opulent and intricate designs that seamlessly blend exceptional craftsmanship, often with extravagant ornamentation. He draws inspiration from the likes of Andy Warhol, with his fascination with everyday objects frequently leading to whimsical compositions or literal additions to objects, such as his custom sculpted bronze nose embellishments that are available for clients to commission as wall hangings or to adorn furniture in their homes.

Renowned for his meticulous approach, Smeets produced approximately 500 sketches for Blow up Art The Hague before settling on the final pan design. He reimagined the humble cooking pan, making it loom large and foreboding opposite the Dutch Houses of Parliament, positioned delicately atop the tranquil Hofvijver pond, but at a mysterious distance from the other blow-up artworks. This evokes a sense of mystery, inviting visitors into a guessing game as to what lies within and might be cooking within the enigmatic pan.

As BlowUp Art The Hague presents this year’s inflatable wonders on a floating garden canvas, it redefines the historic cityscape and invigorates the city’s cultural identity. Through Studio Job's mysterious symbolism of an everyday object, Marcel Wanders' exploration of identity and democracy, Studio Mieke Meijer's mathematical design process and Sigrid Calon’s call for inclusivity, all the works come together under the masterly curatorial direction of Mary Hessing, to offer fresh, colourful and compelling ways to engage with inflatable artworks.

BlowUp Art The Hague is on view between May 9 - June 2, 2024.