The height of the tables were a given in the exhibition. In order to present the building equivalently and at eye level, the pilar foundations of the building were used under the building as ‘extended’ plinth. Woongebouw Galenkop (Galenkop Residential Building), Venice Biennale, Office Winhov, model by Bart van der Salm.
Plinths and base plates are a problem in themselves. A small model can benefit from a large plinth, even if it is merely to present the model at eye level and lend a sense of weight. The lack of a base plate is sometimes useful. The model is then more an object in itself that one can hold and turn around. A plinth must support the aim of the model and form an inseparable whole with the model. As a result of the choice of size and plinth, you steer the presentation of a model to a large extent. Does it form an aside, or is it actually the centre point of the presentation? Do we walk around it, do we have to stand on our toes or actually drop to our knees? The model is a seducer; good models move the observer both literally and metaphorically. Model photos The aim of a model can be a photo or collage. Photos of models can be effective when researching and presenting ‘softer’ design considerations, such as the atmosphere of a space. They literally offer a stage for aspects that are more difficult to lay down in drawings. Moreover, the photos of (interior) models have an alienating effect. They create a certain distance; recognisable and simultaneously abstract. They have a suggestive power more than the model itself. The images imply a story. 85
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