About Traces

This building has a fascinating place in the history of Eindhoven. As a Philips headquarters and ‘personeelswinkel’, it was a central point for a lot of Eindhoven residents and their families. Many of them bought their first technical devices here. As did Frederike. When she was an audio-visual student at the Academy of Visual Arts, she bought her very first video recorder there. Later, the Philips staff shop became the temporary home of the Van Abbe Museum when the museum itself was renovated. The building of TAC is a local heritage, not only as a current art organisation, but as a space in service to its community. It has made an impression on many people (residents and visitors alike) and claimed a spot in their hearts and memories. Much of the building’s former functions are still visible in the form of traces people left behind. Most of these are not publicly accessible as they are in the private areas (studios and workspaces) of the building. In addition, these areas are soon to be demolished and with them the traces of (previous) residents. The project aims to make sure that this essence will be preserved as an inspiration for the new TAC. How can we, the residents, make sure that this space remains the cultural hub that has been built over the years during and after the renovation of the building?

This document is a living memoir of the city of Eindhoven, made for its past, current and future citizens. In the scope of the cultural field, it serves as the doorway to the shape and function of artistic breeding grounds such as TAC.

TrACes is a project in collaboration between Frederike Manders (Mama Producties) and Urša Prek, supported by TAC and Cultuur Eindhoven.

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TrACes – the Artists

Urša Prek

Soundscapes

Urša Prek is an interdisciplinary artist based in Eindhoven, Netherlands. Her work, ranging from visual art to sound installations, focuses on the notion of space. The way we perceive space is a curiosity that drives her to reevaluate spatial experience in correlation to (personal) history and memory. The dialectics between subjective memory and space are never absolute nor static. From audio, video, image and sculpture; her work is not subjected to a specific media but rather depending on conceptual underlay. Fluctuating between reusing archival materials, new production and ready-made is common in her practice.
‘’In connection to space – which is my main curiosity – I would describe my process as a form of mapping. I map the parallels, the ‘no man’s land’, between personal history, perception of space-time and identity. I imagine these trajectories propelled from me toward the space and vice versa: how will a room or a city remember you? Soon we start speaking about legacy, and for me, these are inseparable.’’ –

Frederike Manders

Photography, Panorama's & Video

Educated as photographer and animator, my roots are in the art- and design world. But I also graduated on philosophy. Perhaps a strange background for the tech world, but it now guarantees the quality of my work. In the end it is all about the message and the content. Technique should never be leading but always be used to the best support. I started with VR in 2014 when I came up with the concept of a VR-experience of living with epilepsy (as I do). It gave awareness and insight in the everyday challenges. And it showed me the immense possibilities of VR. the same year I organized a VR/AR-exhibition on the DDW and founded the Hyperspace Institute. With my company I work on a great variety of projects and combine techniques to come up with innovative solutions. Such as the epilepsy project and our heritage projects. We also combined VR with EEG to help people with anxieties. In the meantime we discuss the ethics of the use of MR. As technology is evolving, the possibilities are growing, and we have only just scratched the surface of the future.