The resulting photographs illustrate a strange paradox. Vasconi's photographs from 2001, taken three months after the September 11 attacks, are sober compared with those taken ten years later, in 2011. In the context of ‘9/11', it appears that people now use Christmas decorations to enforce a kind of peaceful reality. When Vasconi went back to America for the second time, in 2011, what she saw was a cheerful and exuberant street scene. There are no guidelines for the decorations and so they are highly diverse in character, from a single Father Christmas to an entire fairy-tale world of reindeer, animals, elves, stars and snowmen. Chaotic or orderly, anything is possible.
Originally, the Netherlands did not take to this American phenomenon, with lavish Christmas decorations being limited to American districts such as Soesterberg, home of the former American air base. But over the last few years, decoration fever has also taken hold elsewhere in the Netherlands. In Den Ilp in North Holland, the houses and gardens look like parade floats, and entire Christmas ‘routes' are organised along homes decorated with thousands of fairy lights and other Christmas paraphernalia.
About Laure Vasconi
Laure Vasconi (1965) works and lives in Paris. She studied photography at the International Center of Photography in New York and works primarily for the press (les Inrockuptibles, Libération, and Le Monde) and theatres (Théâtre de l'Odéon, Théâtre de la Cité Internationale, L'Opéra de Paris and Comédie Française).
About your visit
Frequently Asked Questions
Skip listThe Kunsthal is open from Tuesday to Sunday, from 10:00 to 17:00 hrs. The Kunsthal Café opens half an hour earlier, so you can visit from 9:30 hrs until half an hour after closing time. Check the current opening hours.
Yes, you need to book a ticket with a start time in advance. This also applies if you have a Museum card, Rotterdam pass, or VriendenLoterij VIP Card. This way, you are guaranteed admission and we can ensure that your visit is as pleasant as possible. Book your start time.
Yes, with an online ticket, you can visit all the exhibitions that are on display on the date of your visit. You can also stay as long as you like. You are welcome at the Kunsthal from your designated start time until closing time. Book your start time.
In de Kunsthal Rotterdam zijn altijd meerdere wisselende en contrastrijke tentoonstellingen tegelijk te zien. Een volledig overzicht van alle actuele tentoonstellingen vind je op de tentoonstellingspagina.