In the meantime....

While here in Amsterdam we are running from one problem to the other, Rob is quietly working in his studio in Arnhem. It is coming along nicely - sorry about the pixels, but the actual design has to be a suprise.

Changing places

One of the most challenging aspects of art in public space is finding the right site. For Open Source Amsterdam, all artists could choose the site for their proposed work. This choice is of course based on artistic grounds: how does the work related to its surrounding in terms of meaning, scale, etc.

However, between dream and reality there are quite some practical obstacles. Can the work be transported to the location? Does the urban planner or architect agree with a work of art within his or her design? Are there any cables, pipes or sewage underneath? Even tree roots and groundwater levels are an issue.

And then of course we have to deal with the sensibilities of the inhabitants. The 1992 air plane crash is still painfully imbedded in the collective memory of the Bijlmer. The Open Source Route passes the Bijlmer Monument, which is the central site for the annual commemoration. It turns out, the area of the commemoration is not just the monument itself, but a large area surrounding it.

Rob Voerman originally choose a location which now turns out to be the within this larger area. After some conversations with the local authorities, we decided it would be best to choose a different location for Rob. I am very pleased (and relieved) that Rob felt the same way.

This meant that Rob had to come again to Amsterdam to search for a new site, which we found rather quickly. Rob even thinks the new location may be better. Now let’s hope there is won’t be any more obstacles…

Studio Visit Rob Voerman

To show or not to show

While Layana and I were still talking to Delano, Willem Kwekkeboom (the chair of the board of the foundation Street of Sculptures) and his wife Marianne walked in with a spectacular model of the proposal by Rob Voerman. They had picked it up at Rob's studio in Arnhem.

It was great to see the enthusiasm of both Willem and Marianne. To fuel their excitement even more, I showed them the model of Jennifer Tee's proposal as well.

An interesting discussion has now come up: Layana, seeing how Willem and Marianne reacted to the models, insists that we should show all sketches and models to the public as soon as possible. Willem and I however, feel that that would ruin the surprise. Layana's arguments on how the publicity and marketing of the project would benefit, are very convincing.

So the question now is: is there another way to raise that same level of enthusiasm of the public? Ideas anybody?

Wet your thistle

I had a sneak preview of Rob Voerman's proposal for Open Source yesterday afternoon. But alas, I cannot disclose anything yet – you’ll have to wait until April!

However, I have attached two images to this item. One is Annex #4, a work made by Rob in 2006. The other is a hint. So it is a matter of putting two and two together.....