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166 Brut

sociaal-maatschappelijk , Lichaam , Gender , Digitale technologie , Design , Conceptueel , beeldhouwen , Artistiek onderzoek , Archieven , Analytisch

Rachel Refael (b. 1992) is a multidisciplinary artist and designer with roots in Canada and a current residence in Rotterdam. Refael earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada, in 2018, and furthered her academic journey with a Masters of Arts in Interior Architecture from the Piet Zwart Institute, Willem de Kooning Academy in Rotterdam, Netherlands, in 2021 In 2020, she established 166 BRUT, an interdisciplinary research and design practice that explores informal histories, gender dynamics, and our interconnectedness with the environment.

WORMnest: A Habitat for the Strange
WORMnest: A Habitat for the Strange - "The exhibition offers a glimpse into a world where the Boomgaardstraat building is not just a space but a living, breathing organism. Its walls pulse, its liquids flow like lifeblood, and its guests become both hosts and parasites. This is the Bar That Spreads, a shape-shifting entity that mutates with every gathering, expanding its influence like mycelium beneath the city streets. Here, boundaries dissolve. Flesh & Fluid: Corpus WORM exposes the anatomy of nightlife, intestines turned outward, circuits tangled with viscera, and the heart made of the slick embrace of latex beating into the rhythm of the evening. Drinks spill like open wounds, conversations ferment in the air, and the bar itself digests the energy of its inhabitants. Nothing remains contained. Spilled guts to spilled drinks, the chaos of existence unfolds – inside becomes outside, private blurs into public, and the night comes alive. WORM invites you to peer through the glass, step inside, and let yourself be absorbed into its ever-shifting form." The exhibition was made in collaboration with the designer and artist Rebecca Schedler and includes archival images and drawings of Worm, as well as bacterial collection from the building, and inflatable latex structures, alluding to the elasticity of the space and the parasitic tension between visitors and the interiors
Peeping Spaces: Exhibition
Peeping Spaces: Exhibition - Peeping Spaces is a research-driven, archival-based exhibition and community engagement project that explores the history of erasure and persecution of sex-based spaces in Amsterdam’s De Wallen district amidst recent urban redevelopment. This project aims to elevate marginalized voices, confront exclusionary narratives, and advocate for inclusive urban design principles. By weaving together historical narratives, architectural analysis, and archival research, Peeping Spaces documents the cultural significance of these spaces, championing the preservation of diverse urban landscapes and the need for more inclusive planning practices. The exhibition featured contributions from members of the Prostitution Information Center (PIC), who shared valuable insights and perspectives, and PIC also played an integral role in the program’s community engagement. Peeping Spaces was part of Open Monumentendag 2024 and Amsterdam Museum Nacht 2024, produced by the Pleasure Society.
Simulacrum
Simulacrum - Launched in 2024 by FlevoLAB, Simulacrum explores habitation, land use, and communal welfare within the polders of Flevoland. Moving beyond stereotypical Dutch imagery, it emphasizes spatial imagination and the political nuances of landscape design. Inspired by Dutch genre paintings and modern urban planning, Simulacrum uses “phygital” sketches, AI, and 3D scans of artifacts to create a digital landscape that serves as both homage and critique, capturing Flevoland’s layered history and the narratives of the former Zuiderzee. For the first phase of the project, I integrated scanned archaeological artifacts from the Cultural Heritage Agency (specifically project #Rooswijk1740) and Stichting Archeos Fryslan.
Made to Disappear - Made to Disappear” delves into the dynamics of the living room as a site of performance, influenced by the repercussions of the exclusion of prostitution from the public sphere under Bill C-36. Drawing from interviews with a Canadian sex worker based in Calgary, the project examines her spatial navigation within the confines of her home. Through an investigation into the delineation between private and workspaces for sex workers operating from their residences, “Made to Disappear” sheds light on the living room’s transformation into a stage impacted by the enforced removal of prostitution from public view. Within this exploration, all materiality within the project carries traces of the outside world, disrupting the notion of domesticity. By stripping away ornamental comfort and incorporating multiple spatial references, the project confronts and challenges conventional perceptions of the domestic space.

De Wallen Walk

Datum:
Locatie: Arcam/Gerrit Rietveld

Visiting Lecture for Gerrit Rietveld Academie students about the exhibition Peeping Spaces + research process.

WORMnest: A Habitat for the Strange

Datum:
Locatie: Worm WindoExpo
In samenwerking met: Rebecca Schedler

Window exposition led by and made in collaboration with Rebecca Schedler.

Peeping Spaces Lecture

Datum:
Locatie: Studio Care at ETHZ Zurich Architecture Department

Lecture on the research development of the archival exhibition Peeping Spaces and its methodologies.

Gummi BAR: Creative Latex Workshop

Datum:
Locatie: Tilla TEC for Porn Film Festival Amsterdam
In samenwerking met: Eva Garibaldi

Creative latex workshop curated for visitors; allowing them to learn the fundamentals and create their own every day objects from queer materialities.

Blender 3D Workshop

Datum:
Locatie: Het Wijkpaleis
In samenwerking met: Webcollab

As part of being a social practice, and in the spirit of Het Wijkpaleis, I designed the workshop to teach the local community the fundamentals of Blender 3D as part of "social return" to the community.

Open Monumentendag: Informal Monuments

Datum:
Locatie: Open Monumentendag/Arcam

Two day lecture series on the queer informal monuments of Amsterdam and where to find them.

Peeping Spaces

Datum:
Locatie: Arcam
In samenwerking met: Gavin O. O'Leary, Prostitution Information Center, with the advisory of Pol Esteve Castello

In the archival exhibition ‘Peeping Spaces’, designers and curators Gavin Oliver O’Leary, Rachel Refael, with the advice of Pol Esteve Castello, explore the evolution of sex-oriented interiors in the Red Light district and the impact of policymaking on these spaces and the individuals that inhabit them. The exhibition highlights the historical, social, and architectural significance of sexuality within the public realm.

FlevoLAB New Maker (Phase 2)

Datum:
Locatie: StrandLAB
In samenwerking met: FlevoLAB

Continuation of the Artistic research on the province of Flevoland.

Poster Design - Ans and the Universe

Datum:
Locatie: IFFR
In samenwerking met: Studio Berkveldt

Designing a film poster for IFFR 2024 documentary "Ans and the Universe" by Studio Berkveldt.

https://iffr.com/nl/iffr/2024/films/ans-en-het-universum

Spatial Designer/Creative

Datum:
In samenwerking met: Northern Light

Content and design development for museums and cultural institutions.

FlevoLAB New Maker (Phase 1)

Datum:
Locatie: StrandLAB
In samenwerking met: FlevoLAB

Artistic Research on the socio-cultural history of Flevoland.

https://www.flevolab.nl/makers-trainees/

Moderator

Datum:
Locatie: BioArt
In samenwerking met: Studio Berkveldt

Moderating exhibition opening for Studio Nerkveldt's project; 'Life to come: the importance of death in nature'. with Jeroen Helmer, ARK Nature Illustrator, and Elke Wenting, PhD candidate at Wageningen University.

https://www.instagram.com/dead_and_alive_by_berkveldt/

Untitiled

Datum:
Locatie: De Hillevliet
In samenwerking met: Het Duivennest

Work in progress exhibition on form study

Made to Disappear

Datum:
Locatie: De Ijsdabriek

Exhibiting 'Peeping Spaces' with Manifestation during DDW 2021

https://miard.pzwart.nl/research-and-design/made-to-disappear

Domestic Territories: Online Exhibition

Datum:
Locatie: Online
In samenwerking met: Piet Zwart Institute
https://domestic-territories.com/

Borderland

Datum:
Locatie: coopwijk 010
In samenwerking met: Piet Zwart Institute

Collective exhibition questioning the role of institutions and archives

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