On Sunday, June 12th, I and assistant Ruslan Eliseev created a pop-up image among the trees on the Minervalaan.It was in fact a figurative image. In the winding slightly chaotic shapes there is a recognizable human figure. This figure is in the so-called prostration posture: sprawled stretched out on the ground, face down and arms stretched forward. This attitude expresses surrender and is practiced in various spiritual traditions.

Why here?

For two reasons it seemed to me a good idea to precisely put this figure here. First of all, this place evokes associations with a church/cathedral of trees. The trunks of these trees are splitting relatively low above the ground in curved branches which grow very vertical and exuberant upwards. So the trees form a canopy of leaves and under this roof a very special high space.

Reason two is that how perspective works is very visible on this place. The trees in the two rows are getting smaller towards the end. So does the lawn too. A long elongated figure consisting of lines could benefit and respond optimally to this phenomenon. Challenge was to lay the figure in such a way that a powerful image and virtual reality experience is the result. Photo and VR are after all the legacy of this fleeting pop-up image.

Design

The figure Echoes the symmetry of the design of the environment. The curved branches get back in the limbs. In this way the image is harmoniously inserted in the surrounding area. The strictly geometrically symmetric structure is mitigated and compensated by the free form game in the lines. The use of the blinds material in a figurative way leads through the nature of the material (tightly geometric, smooth and flawless white) very easy to highly idealized forms and figures. By introducing a kind of chaos, by freely braiding the lamellae around each other, has been tried to get a counterbalance. On the one hand, viewed at a distance, there is a fusion of form to a few powerful light chaotic lines on the other hand is close, for who walks alongside the image, an order to be seen in many surprising shapes. This game of forms provided by the material, could be directed toward shapes that resemble human anatomy. With the necessary imagination associations can be made with knuckles, muscles, tendons, and bones. At other places associations can be made with people / animals who flatter each other.
Free use of the organic form leads easily to figurative associations. The linguistic/figurative aspect naturally arises out of the organic form.

Open space

This figurative is an important feature of this work. A second feature is the open space in and around the figure that has been consciously managed The open space is provided for the figurative. Aim was to get this open space into the figure itself and to open the figure above and below to this open space. Furthermore, it is important to note that the lines are mostly separate from each other causing them to gain independence within the image.

thanks

For the realization of this picture I've worked in a pleasant way with assistant Ruslan Eliseev I want to thank him warmly for his commitment and creative contribution to the realization of this work.

More pictures of this work can be seen here at 'location Minervalaan'.

June 13, 2016

On Saturday, May 28th, I made in cooperation with assistant Ruslan Eliseev in the Amsterdam Forest. an image of vertical blinds which respons to a skulpture of the German sculptor Ulrich Rückriem
The vertical blinds form a clear contrast in terms of design to the image of Rückriem but there is in a certain way also a similarity.

contrasts

The sculpture of Rückriem is standing verticaly. The vertical blinds are stretched horizontally.
Rückriem's sculpture takes space by its volume while by the vertical blinds the space is enclosed with a minimum of volume.

The image of Rückriem is rectangular and static. The vertical blinds on the other hand form organic and dynamic shapes.
Rückriem's image disclaims any narrative interpretation. The image of the vertical blinds is evocative and put the imagination to work while at the same time make this relative through the emptiness surrounded by the blinds.

The image of Rückriem consists of naturalstone and is there for "eternity". The blinds image consists of bendable plastic and is very temporarily present.
It is volatile because after a few hours it's gone. It lives on in virtual reality* where it artificially can be experienced again.

Similarity

The image of Rückriem stands in the middle of a place with trees distinct from the grass of the playground. This being among the trees is not accidental but a deliberate choice off the sculptor. Imposing and closed rises the massive stone statue precisely vertically here.
This massive vertical rise is traditionally spoken a way to worship something. Think of obelisks and menhirs as well as columns for this role in temples and churches.
This makes the presumption plausible that the artist wants to pay homage here.

Because both images are together they will influence each other in terms of interpretation. The blinds are drawn into the imposing image of Rückriem and the kind of ode that brings the sculpture of Rückriem is influenced by what the blilnds appeal to. Both images come to lie in line with each other, while at other points they are in contrast.

thanks

For the realization of this image, I have worked in a pleasant way with assistant Ruslan Eliseev I want to thank him on this way. On to the next picture!

May 29, 2016

More pictures of the plant in the Amsterdam Forest can be found here

In time, all the works become available in Virtual Reality. More news about this will appear on this site.

For the first time, on Friday Dec 4, I have made a picture of lamellae erecting vertically amidst horizontally lying.
Location: a lawn behind Sloterdijk Station. This area has a metropolitan feel, and it seemed to me a good idea to put right here a picture with organic forms down
The sun reflected this time wonderful in a surrounding building which transformed later in the afternoon into a kind of gold block. A very old motif (tree) and material (gold) in the arts; came together in a special way. The audience ran along the picture on their way to the station and i got positive feedback
A first selection of the photos can be seen under the menu item "three dimensional work"

A special moment when, at the beginning of the evening the lamellae which where put ont the gras in the afternoon
caught the light of the sun over the full length .The white lamellae lit up quite beautiful in the dark green grass. The sunset was so experienced in a special way and it became one with an exclamation mark. Moments later the sun disappeared behind one of the buildings and the lamellae "turned off"

This Pop-Up image was the first spatial image that I have made in the public space. The people's reactions were very positive. A lot of people have made pictures and because some residents offered me to come over to shoot at them, I can view it here as well from five stories high. All in all it was a very positive experience. Also learned a lot for the next image. Residents: Thank you for the warm interest and offered help!The photos can be seen under the menu item: Spatial work.