‘Kom Kijken’: an exhibition about Antoni van Leeuwenhoek designed by five students

News - 28 August 2023 - Communication BK

Today, the exhibition ‘Kom Kijken’ opens in the Oude Kerk in Delft. It celebrates both the life and work of Antoni van Leeuwenhoek as well as microbiological research as a whole. The exhibition is the culmination of over a year of effort from artists, designers, and a construction team. Integral to the project were the design and marketing by students at the TU Delft Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment.

From ‘Minor’ project to full exhibition

At the start of the previous academic year, around thirty students enrolled for the Architectural Minor ‘Spaces of Display’ under Leontine de Wit. In the course of five months these students were first taught about and then challenged to design public displays. The final project was an exhibition back in January called FOCUS, where their ideas were showcased in Delft’s public library. The original idea was that two students would be chosen by a jury from the Science Centre to participate in the ‘Kom Kijken’ exhibition. However, it seems that FOCUS was suitably impressive to convince the jury that all of the next exhibition should be a student project. As such, five were chosen to handle the design and marketing for ‘Kom Kijken’.

The year of van Leeuwenhoek

‘Kom Kijken’ is part of a year-long program to celebrate and commemorate Antoni van Leeuwenhoek, the revolutionary self-taught scientist who passed away in his hometown of Delft exactly 300 years ago. 

His microscopes, whose magnification wouldn’t be surpassed for decades after his death, allowed humankind to glimpse the world of microbes for the very first time. Now, three centuries later, ‘Kom Kijken’ displays van Leeuwenhoek’s work. You also meet other Delft microbiologists past and present and learn about the possible future of the field. Join the exhibition to experience the historical artefacts, artistic interpretations, thought-provoking information, and of course the design by five young talents from ‘our’ faculty!

More information

The exhibition "Kom Kijken" is on display from Monday, 28 August to Saturday, 28 Oktober in the Oude Kerk, Delft. Entrance is free for citizens of Delft (with this voucher), otherwise the exhibtion is included in the church entrance price. Address: HH Geestkerkhof 25, 2611 HP Delft.

The minor Spaces of Display is coordinated by lecturer Leontine de Wit of the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment (Architecture Department). 

More about the Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Year and TU Delft's other events around this theme can be found here.