Outset Netherlands is thrilled to have supported the project Chapter 2WO with Nicolás Jaar at Het HEM, a new place for contemporary culture in a former munitions factory in Zaandam. Chapter 2WO was a combination of different installations and public programs built around a ten-week residency by Chilean artist and composer Nicolás Jaar. We are proud to have created with our support, in collaboration and with the incredible guidance of Het HEM, a space in which Nicolás Jaar and the Shock Forest Group could discover what emerges.
During his residency Jaar (1990) conducted research into the site’s historical, sociological, archaeological and geographical aspects together with his assembled Shock Forest Group, named after the nearby Schokbos – a forest created with the purpose of muting the sound of the munitions testing and protecting the people living nearby. The research resulted in a number of installations spread across the building of Het HEM, starting with Incomprehensible Sun, an installation combining light and sound in the 200-meter long shooting range in the basement. More installations followed as Jaar and the Shock Forest Group furthered their research together.
Het HEM proved to be a fantastic match with Outset by making it their mission to invite today’s creative makers and thinkers and collaborate with them to develop multidisciplinary art programs that shed new light on the world around us. In their own words: individuals who broaden our horizons through personal stories, professional practice and perspective.
Chapter 2WO by at Het HEM was on show from September 19 until December 21, 2019.
