Binck! Blik op de Binckhorst: the best kept secret of The Hague

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Date: 17 september - 6 November 2005

During the autumn of 2005, Stroom Den Haag turned its gaze to the Binckhorst, The Hague’s industrial area that harbours countless unexpected functions—a vessel full of fascinating facts, a sum of striking histories, in other words: the fresh, frayed edge of the planned city.
Restructuring of this “best-kept secret of The Hague” is inevitable. Businesses and the municipality agree that mixed-use development is necessary. But how does this relate to regulations and environmental legislation? Is a creative city something that can be constructed? Where does a top-down urban planning approach end?

Driven by the belief that visual art has the power to shift our view of the urban environment, artist Melle Smets set out to reveal the hidden qualities and socio-geographic richness of the Binckhorst. On 17 September, the event BincK! A Look at the Binckhorst took place, attracting a broad audience. At the same time, the magazine ‘BincK’, edited by Tijs van den Boomen and Cassandra Wilkins, was released. This one-off glossy has since become unavailable due to overwhelming demand.

Event 'BincK! Blik op de Binckhorst'
On 17 September 2005, you had the chance to discover the BincK for yourself. Throughout the day, there were various guided tours, competitions and attractions to visit.

• Binck Travel Offers
  Discover the Binckhorst with one or more of our special travel offers!
  During the BincK event, a wide range of journeys were organised – to be taken either with guides of various kinds or independently.

• Binck! Travel Agency in the SmartCenter
  During the Binckhorst event, a travel agency was set up in the SmartCenter, where you could obtain all travel information for the day. From here, you could embark on a journey of discovery through the Binckhorst – by BinckXpress, with a guide, or independently by bike, car or on foot.
  Especially for this day, the travel agency provided free copies of the BincK! magazine, which partly served as a guide and was filled with background information.

• BinckXpress
  Because the Binckhorst is quite large – about one and a half kilometres long and one kilometre wide – a free mini train operated during the event on Saturday 17 September 2005, from 11:00 to 17:00. The BinckXpress followed a route through the Binckhorst with six stops where you could hop on and off whenever and wherever you liked. The stops were designed by "waste architects" Jan Körbes and Denis Oudendijk. Ringmasters from the artist collective G.A.N.G. provided expert commentary along the way.
  Start and end stop: SmartCenter, Mercuriusweg 1

• BincK! Expo
  This multimedia exhibition in the Caballero Factory on Saturnusstraat provided insight into the area’s history, current strengths and future plans. People who live and work in the area shared their stories, and specialists gave their views on the plans. Also on display were the results of a workshop held in June with students from the art academy and TU Delft. They visualised the qualities of the Binckhorst in a remarkable way. Open all day at the Caballero Factory, Saturnusstraat 50.

• Unique… ferry service by De Ooievaart
  Exclusively for visitors of the Binckhorst:
  Ferry service by De Ooievaart, only on 17 September 2005, between 10:00 and 17:00
  €2 one-way. Boarding location: Grass field across from the Royal Academy of Art, Prinsessegracht
  Disembark location: Mercuriusweg, quay in front of the SmartCenter
  

BincK Magazine
An industrial area with its own magazine—featuring powerful portraits of Binckhorst residents and entrepreneurs, reviews of all eateries (rated five to ten stars), essays and reports, background stories and history. With future plans, maps, route descriptions, and in-depth information, BincK served as a guide for the various journeys that took place in the Binckhorst on 17 September.

Lecture: ‘Looking Ahead at the Binckhorst’
The symposium ‘Looking Ahead at the Binckhorst’ took place on 13 October 2005, as part of the event ‘Binck! A Look at the Binckhorst’. Topic: the future of the Binckhorst industrial estate. Wouter Vanstiphout (Crimson Architectural Historians and WiMBY!) engaged in conversation with: Martijn Bakker (Rabo Real Estate), Cees Herweijer (BLF Business Association), Annius Hoornstra (Haagwonen), Ted Zwietering (The Hague Development Company, DSO, Municipality of The Hague), Melle Smets (G.A.N.G.), Rients Dijkstra (Maxwan architecture and urbanism), Marijn van der Wagt (Spatial Planning Bureau), Tijs van den Boomen (NRC Handelsblad).

Exhibition and Symposium: A Look at the Binckhorst
From 14 October to 6 November 2005, the exhibition ‘Binck! A Look at the Binckhorst’ was held, focusing on the history of the Binckhorst, its current assets, and its future development. On 13 October 2005, a symposium also took place, in which Stroom looked ahead and aimed to spark a debate about the future of this area.

Audio Tour
Highly recommended and still relevant: a unique audio tour of the Binckhorst.
Borrow a Discman at Stroom Den Haag (bring valid ID) and the CD (available for €5). Through interviews with various people who live, work, or have worked in the Binckhorst, you are guided through the area. Voices and sounds from the Binckhorst tell a compelling story of bygone days, visible and hidden events, daily life and special phenomena. An engaging and informative tour—especially when combined with the BincK magazine.
(Based on an idea by visual artist Willem Marijs in collaboration with Gerdien Blankenstijn.)