Tilburg has a fantastic park in the city centre: the Spoorpark. The park, which is the largest civic initiative in the Netherlands, offers many opportunities for relaxation. The location also has great value for our museum as it was the site of Mathieu Kessels' factory where he produced more than 500,000 musical instruments. This Kessels Artwork, created by artist Tom Dubelaar, establishes a connection between this historic location and the Kessels Museum.
Origin
Tom Dubelaar says: "I once made a lamp from leftover material from the Kessels instrument workshop. That was looked at surprisingly and I was then asked if I could also make a kind of plaque in that way." Where Spoorpark now lies, Matthieu Kessels' home, print shop and Factory once stood. Something to pause for - precisely because of the great significance Matthieu had for Tilburg and its residents. The thoughts for this artwork was to represent this. "I set to work on this enthusiastically, also because of the wide availability of used material. This tells stories, makes history come alive, and after processing and composition it takes on new meaning again".
What do you see
The background is a photograph of the factory with its staff. From zinc moulds -originally used to cut copper for wind instruments- he made contour drawings of the factory and house, showing compositions of wooden and copper instruments and a model of a copper lathe. From the copper of wind instruments, Tom sawed portraits of Matthieu and Marietje Kessels. "In the 4cm thickness of the work, I invited the third dimension, by adding a certain volume to forms". The text frame incorporates parts from the printers' past: a cover of a music booklet, pieces of sheet music from one of Kessels' compositions, templates for music from his brass band booklets, and etching plates for images of instruments from the catalogue. It is in fact an anthology from the Kessels museum's move to Stationsstraat. From everything that remained, Tom Dubelaar created a story.
"The used material from the restoration workshop regains new meaning in the artwork after processing and composition," says artist Tom Dubelaar. He also volunteers at the Kessels Museum.
The connection to the here and now lies in the window construction and the track, as it used to run right past the factory. On the wall, you can now look into the past through added windows, and you are invited to experience music. Making and listening to music yourself; that was Matthieu Kessels' invitation; for which he also provided the means. Now, Kunstwerk Kessels also constitutes an invitation to visit the Kessels Museum.
Location Artwork Kessels:
Spoorpark Tilburg entrance via St. Ceciliastraat You will find the artwork on the wall of the yellow Spoorpark building on the park side.
