The Quarantine Hospital as I mentioned before, was a place where people came after a looong trip on the ocean, weather the future looked bright after that, or the future was much worse.
The current status people had in the previous centuries was sickness, and this building was to recover. The last official purpose of the building was that it was a hospital for leprosy patients. After that the building was sometimes used for parties, or for those who thought it was beautiful and romantic, for a wedding. But it is beautiful, and romantic.
I would love to return this building to it's glory and continue the aspect of recovery. But recovery, not with medical care, but with art, film ,food and rest.
I would love for it to stay a public domain.
I picture this building having on the ground floor: a exhibition space, a terrace behind and a little library where the books reach the ceiling.
The art exhibition space is part of the Artist-in-Residence of the building.
3 times a year both an Caribbean and foreign artist are invited to come and make their work.
Not only artists are invited, also architects, garden architects, illustrators and designers.
The terrace in the back is where breakfast, lunches and dinners take place. People are also welcome to come and have lunch or dinner, but the terrace is inherent to the other activities that take place. The breakfast, lunches and dinners are organic and biological foods.
It is possible to host parties there and bands can come and play entertaining music.
The library is an art library: it has art history books, contemporary art books, art books from all the different parts in the world, from Islamic art till the art of the Brazilian tribe in the Amazons. Also all type of design books, magazines, and dvd's are there to view or borrow.
The new quarantine hospital should be as some kind of retreat center, where new energy for creating is there without any pressure. It could be a place for rest, to unwind your mind.
In the next blog I will tell about my dreams for the basement of the building..
