For centuries, bricks shaped from local clay and fired to a warm red-orange colour have defined the look of the city and province of Groningen. Bakstain unveils the cultural history of these distinctive bricks and shows that they’re much more than a building material. The exhibition celebrates the craftsmanship, knowledge and culture baked into every Groningen brick and considers the resilience of a region where past and present intertwine. The artist Gus Drake is developing a virtual reality experience for visitors.
In Bakstain – “brick” in local dialect – the Groninger Museum pays tribute to an apparently simple material with deep roots in local history and identity. The show delves into the local practice of brickmaking, which began in the Middle Ages and grew to become one of the province’s main industries. With its extensive scale and long history, Groningen brick manufacture has left a lasting mark on the landscape, architecture and daily life of the region.
Groningen red
The characteristic orangish hue of locally fired bricks, sometimes called Groningen red, gives the city and surrounding area its distinctive look. The colour comes from the specific composition of the clay in the region. But as Bakstain shows, this familiar material can’t be taken for granted. Changing market conditions have forced numerous factories to shut down. In a province that was once home to around 60 brickworks, only one remains active today.
More than a building material
Bakstain connects artisanship, architecture and art. The exhibition makes it clear that Groningen bricks are not merely functional materials but also meaningful carriers of culture. At a time when traditional trades are under threat, Bakstain highlights the cultural richness of craft.
De Lucchi Pavilion
The exhibition will take place in the Groninger Museum’s De Lucchi Pavilion, itself made of bricks, and designed by the Italian architect Michele de Lucchi. The building visually refers to the city’s old fortifications and provides the perfect context for a show about bricks as carriers of history and identity.
Gus Drake
In conjunction with Bakstain, the Groninger Museum will present work specially created by Gus Drake. Drake is an interdisciplinary artist who investigates the relationship between people and their environment. In a virtual reality experience, he brings to life the memories of residents of Overschild, a village in Groningen where almost all the houses are being demolished because of earthquake damage. Drake stayed in touch with these residents for years. Visitors to the exhibition can step inside their houses and personal stories in a virtual environment where the walls tell of the loss hidden behind the disappearance of a home.