Crimson Gilt
Crimson Gilt Indonesia
Crimson Gilt Japan
Crimson Gilt Backstory
Crimson Gilt Japan
Crimson Gilt Indonesia
Materials: Knitted cotton & polyester, Bamboo
Size: 780 cm x 484 cm x 308cm
Crimson Gilt reflects on the intertwined histories of Japan, Indonesia, and the Netherlands through the VOC. The installation takes the form of a suspended ship, based on the 1748 VOC vessel Amsterdam, recreated from a thousand knitted strips in gold and crimson. Gold represents the prosperity the VOC brought to Japan; crimson reveals the exploitation, colonialism and slavery sustained elsewhere across its trade routes. Visitors can walk through the ship’s center and experience the shifting light and colour — a journey through shared yet conflicting histories. After its presentation in Hirado, the work will ‘sail’ to the Maritime Museum (Museum Bahari, Jakarta) and the National Maritime Museum (Scheepvaartmuseum, Amsterdam), reorienting its form and perspective at each site.
Collaborators: Vincent Ruijters Studio - artist & owner, Yoichi Kamimura – sound design, Het Scheepvaartmuseum, Museum Bahari Jakarta, Hirado Dutch Trading Post Museum, Knitwear Lab - textile development and production, Nest-A – project coordination Japan
Supported by:
DKI Jakarta Provincial Government, DKI Jakarta Provincial Cultural Service, Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Jakarta, Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Tokyo, Erasmushuis Jakarta, Musee ID, Agency for Cultural Affairs, Japan, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Japan, Nagasaki Prefectural Government, Executive Committee for the 40th National Cultural Festival & 25th, National Arts & Culture Festival for People with Disabilities Nagasaki, Hirado City Government, Creative Industries Fund NL, Mondriaan Fund