Beeld en Geluid = Sound and vision

The Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision is the only institution of its kind, combining as it does national television and radio archives with a 'Media Experience'. Here, visitors can interactively experience programmes from the rich past of the Dutch broadcasting system and make new programmes of their own in the role of presenter, editor or participant.

The building that houses this dual function is equally unique. The Rotterdam architectural firm Neutelings Riedijk has designed a subterranean necropolis with 42 kilometres of shelves for 700,000 hours of images and sound, and rising above this, a colourful showtime paradise for the Experience. For the façade, graphic designer Jaap Drupsteen and Neutelings Riedijk have fashioned 748 different panels of coloured glass depicting in relief the most important moments of Dutch television history.

Sound and Vision presents all aspects of the building. Various people from Neutelings Riedijk and the Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision make written contributions to the book, while Drupsteen also elucidates his work. Further, David Keuning analyzes the building according to eight themes, among them 'Reflection', 'Discovery', 'Vault' and 'Window'. The photographs of Daria Scagliola are a splendid complement to this multifaceted analysis.