Hasta La Ideas

I suspect that one of the reasons “Tumbler” from the recent Batman films quickly achieved instant classic status is because of its unambiguous resemblance to the iconic F-117 Nighthawk, arguably the most advanced fighter jet of the 20th-century. My hypothesis is largely based on the fact that (like myself) the target audience for the films—or at least the vehicle design and visual style of Christopher Nolan’s trilogy—recognizes the affinity between the two conveyances from our youthful obsession over such things.

Photo by Peter Cox

Which is probably why artist Paul Segers’ latest project, “Stealth Pavilion,” piqued my interest. The Eindhoven-based mixed media sculptor is known for large-scale installations, as well as “[organizing] projects in the Netherlands and around the world under the auspices of his ‘New Brabant Front,’ a network of like-minded artists from various fields in the creative industry.” His new piece references the aeronautical and architectural aspects of his previous work even as it speaks to the timely issue of surveillance.

The Stealth Pavillion was created for KAAP, an annual exhibition at one of the fortresses of the old Dutch defense line ‘de Hollandse Waterlinie.’ The ‘theme’ of the exhibition was inspired by Dutch artist Constant Nieuwenhuys’ Utopian ‘New Babylon’ project (1959-74).

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