Too late, too little,
(and how) to fail gracefully
curated by Bik Van der Pol
2011, Kunstfort Asperen
Fort Asperen is a part of the New Dutch Waterline, a defense system which was founded under French administration. During the Franco-Prussian War (1870) and the First World War (1914-1918) the Netherlands remained relatively undisturbed and the New Waterline was not put to use. On 12 April 1940 however, the Fort was prepared for war, but the New Dutch Waterline could not withstand modern warfare. The German Luftwaffe passed the nineteenth century defense structure without problems and dropped their paratroopers far behind its lines.
Bik Van der Pol articulated the concept for KunstFort Asperen 2011- titled Too late, too little, (and how) to fail gracefully- inspired by the irony of Forts military past. The project reflects on the theme of intruders, and looks critically and with some irony to to societal boundaries and barriers. When do we perceive the other as a threat? How are social barriers erected and how are these undermined?