Tschumi Tulips
year: 2008
location: Tschumi Pavilion, Hereplein Groningen, Netherlands
material: 20.000 tulips White Marvel, earth, irrigation system, webcam and on-line film
dimensions: 36 x 3.6 meter
Tschumi Tulips was a temporary project that occurred in the Tschumi pavilion in the spring of 2008. One could observe a growth process coming to fulfilment in and around the pavilion via two different channels: an intervention on the Hereplein and a webcam film on the internet.
The glass pavilion – built in 1990 according to a design by architect Bernard Tschumi – functioned like a greenhouse in this project. The
floor of the little building was filled with 10.000 tulip bulbs, and an equal number of bulbs were planted over an equal surface area in an extension of
the pavilion outside (making-of pictures). The difference between the interior and exterior became visible through the flowering time of the tulips in a period of six to
twelve weeks. In the controlled environment of the pavilion, the tulips flowered earlier because average temperature is higher than that of the fresh air.
The whole process was recorded using a webcam installed in the pavilion. The camera took a photograph every day around midday. Each new photograph was
immediately added to the previous photographs via an internet link and presented online in the form of a film-in-progress. The result is a
filmic report of the process of growth and decay.
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