Ingeborg Meulendijks on designing the chapel

During the design phase, I had many conversations with future users of the chapel, including priests and spiritual leaders from a variety of religions. Within the nursing home, a special group was formed around the project, made up of residents, members of management, a spiritual leader, a physical therapist, caregivers, and volunteers. The group reflected the cultural diversity of Oud Delfshaven. For this commission, I felt my role as an artist was to listen and respond to the needs of the nursing home community. The goal was to create an evocative space that stands on its own, speaks to visitors, and most importantly, is functional for all. That meant designing a space that excludes no one due to religious affiliation or physical challenges. The chapel had to be accessible in all senses, where everyone is different yet the same. It turned out to be a challenging objective. My conversations with the people involved were indispensable; they served as a touchstone as well as a lively source of inspiration.

In designing a non-denominational chapel, for me the space itself remained key. I didn't want to place an "extra" work of art in the space, but to make the space itself into a work of art. There is little place for reflection in our society, so what I had in mind was to literally and figuratively make room for quiet contemplation here, in the middle of a busy nursing home in multicultural Delfshaven.

The goal of this chapel project is to provide a visually subdued and serene space where everyone can feel at ease. The emphasis is on what makes people the same inside rather than on their religious differences. Instead of using a myriad of different symbols connected with specific religions and cultures, I chose to employ universal symbols found in religious architecture. The circle, given its cyclical form, a line without beginning and without end, is used to symbolize heaven or eternal rebirth. Mobile liturgical objects were created so the chapel could be temporarily customized for use by specific religious groups. Special attention was paid to wheelchair and hospital bed accessibility.

The initial design consisted of a number of separate niches that created a sense of intimacy and seclusion for visitors and that allowed visitors to withdraw into the chapel, moving out of the line of sight of the public space nearby. Unfortunately, the space available turned out to be too limited for the multiple niche design. The definitive design reduces their number to one niche at the entrance, which serves as a vestibule. Its purpose is to mark the transition from all the activity outside to the stillness of the sanctuary, a sort of transitional area like the narthex in some churches. A semicircular wall sets the niche off from the chapel proper, and those meditating inside will hear a new visitor enter before seeing them. This curved wall of the entry niche also serves both as a welcoming form for visitors and as a sound barrier, reflecting sound back at those entering the niche, so that they are confronted with the noise they are making. The vestibule allows visitors to quiet down and shake off the activity and commotion of the outside world before proceeding further into the chapel. The vestibule also contains a water element with a dual purpose: the fountain provides the calming sound of gently flowing water and it muffles outside noise. At the threshold between the vestibule and the inner sanctuary, the word "rust" is inscribed, which in Dutch means both "serenity" and "quiet."

The ceiling and floor design is inspired by the saying, "On earth as it is in heaven". This particular place in Delfshaven is a holy place. After all, residents can no longer travel elsewhere. They find themselves here, between heaven (ceiling) and earth (floor), standing, sitting in wheelchairs, or lying in hospital beds. I replaced the standard ceiling with a wooden relief ceiling, so that the visitors in beds also have a nice view. In both the ceiling and floor, the circle was chosen as the primary motif, alluding to the dome, the mandala, planets, and the compass rose. Recessed light fixtures in the ceiling together form a constellation. The wooden floor is inlaid with a compass rose which indicates magnetic North and the position of Mecca. The latter, called qibla, lets Muslims know which direction they should face while praying. The liturgical center of the space is where the largest recess in the ceiling (heaven) is reflected by the compass rose in the floor (earth).

I altered the original floor plan of the space, so that the ritual cleansing area is no longer separate from the main chapel. This opens up the space and makes the area accessible for everyone, including those who simply wish to freshen up or have a glass of water. The stone washbasin and pebble mosaic allude to the Islamic practice of using a beautiful stone instead of water in a symbolic cleansing ritual with the very ill. At the point where this area's tile floor meets the bamboo floor of the chapel, there is a stone threshold inscribed with the word "open".

The existing concrete, load-bearing columns have been accentuated by a new bamboo housing, their curved forms emphasizing the liturgical center of the chapel. Bookshelves have been integrated into the columns so that religious writings and volumes of poetry serve as supports between heaven and earth.

A place for various acts of devotion, such as lighting a candle, making an incense offering, placing a flower, or leaving behind a thought or intention on a piece of paper. The wall unit also allows for practical matters like storage, with room for candles and writing materials. The piece's design organizes everything neatly to preserve the austerity and serenity of the chapel.

The domed recesses in the ceiling contain light fixtures equipped with dimmers, for easy adjustment. For religious gatherings, the liturgical center can be lit to the intensity desired. By using bulbs of different shining radii, an organic pattern of light circles forms on the wooden floor.

The design of the chapel and the materials used were determined based on three principles: austerity, natural beauty, and internal structure. During the design process, I worked closely with artist Pascal de Caluwe, and many fine craftsmen were involved in the building process.

For me, austerity means quiet, subdued, with a minimum of visual stimulus – and is akin to allowing extended silences to occur in a conversation. The absence of input allows sound to resonate, images to resurface. The creative process for this project consisted largely of leaving out visual stimuli, to make room for quiet contemplation.

The austerity of the chapel is not cold or nihilistic, but emerges from the use of familiar shapes and natural materials. These materials represent the natural elements and bear signs of growth, life, and sometimes timelessness. Extensive use is made of bamboo wood, but stone, metal, and water are also employed.

I do not see the chapel as a set or as an artificial facade for an existing space. So wherever possible, we have tried to make visible the construction or internal structure of the materials used as meaningful decoration in itself. This principle reflects the function of the space: a place for the inner self. It can be seen for example, in the recessed lighting, where the concentric rings you see are formed by the layers in the plywood used; in the wooden floor, where knots in the bamboo are still visible; in the visible wooden joints of the furniture; in the traces of the embossing process left in the solid silver objects; and in the eroded stone which forms the fountain.

The liturgical objects were made using the same design principles as the chapel itself. Forms found in the meditative space are also reflected in the objects, such as the circle motif and the pattern formed by the recessed lighting. Special bamboo cases were crafted to protect the liturgical objects.

The Zorg Compas chapel is an attempt to create a sacred space that responds to the needs of a culturally diverse group of users. Its completion is an expression of my wish that people everywhere may grow old with dignity and mutual respect.