INSUL(T)ATION

Created for Open Monumentendag 2023, Insul(t)ation temporarily wrapped a monument in an external skin of insulation material, attached with only two small nails to avoid damaging the protected structure. Exposed to fungi, weather and accelerated processes of decay, this fragile layer proposed preservation as a paradox: while attempting to protect the monument from time, the work made time materially visible on its surface.

After one day, the city ordered its removal, not because the monument had been damaged, but because its appearance had been altered. Insul(t)ation thus exposed a tension inherent to heritage conservation: what exactly are we preserving? The material existence of a monument, or the stability of its image? Through growth, weathering and decay, the work transformed protection into an act of temporal disturbance.