Britt Gijzen

Artist (back) in residence

A place where the past is told – and where there is space for new stories

Heritage contains a story that is continuously rewritten over time, reshaped by the people who engage with it and the context in which it exists. This layered complexity takes a tangible form in the canal house at Keizersgracht 374 in Amsterdam. Originally built as a private residence, the building has a construction history dating back to the 17th century. Over time, it has been repurposed for various artisanal and creative uses: a goldsmith’s workshop (1903–1926), several sewing and fur ateliers (1936–1965), and a painter’s studio (1970–2023). In 2016, the building was donated by its last owner, the artist Clemens Merkelbach van Enkhuizen, to Stadsherstel Amsterdam. Following his passing in 2023, the organisation aims to honour Clemens’s wish by continuing to use the house as a space for artistic and creative development. With this design project, I seek to give new shape to this ‘house for the arts’.

In my vision, I approach heritage as a narrative composed of different chapters. This allows space for new layers of use to be added, without compromising the heritage values of the building. The house has undergone numerous transformations and uses, resulting in a ‘collage of temporal layers’ that still lack a coherent connection. In my view, the true strength of a collage—its freedom, spontaneity, and diversity—only becomes meaningful when there is a clear vision that brings these fragments into dialogue. Without such alignment, a collage remains a collection of disconnected fragments without a story. The challenge, therefore, lies in both strengthening the collage by fostering interaction between the fragments, and preserving the experience of the individual time layers, so that the identity of the building remains both visible and tangible. The next chapter of this canal house thus exists in the tension between preservation and renewal. How can existing and new temporal layers be read as a coherent whole, without losing the heritage values of the place?

Graduation date: 3 July 2025
Graduation committee:  Serge Schoemaker (mentor), Rogier van den Brink, Lotte Zaaijer 
Additional members for the exam: Jarrik Ouburg, Jolijn Valk