INFO

At the invitation of the Municipality of Amsterdam, I created a sketch design for a public artwork. De boom die niet verdwijnt [The tree that does not disappear] is a tribute to an old chestnut tree in Amsterdam’s Westerpark that died in 2022, due to an illness. In my proposal the artwork would be composed of materials commonly found in the Westerpark, think of stones, pavement tiles or bricks.

Together with residents of the area and any other interested parties, the foundation of stones would be stacked without using binders like cement. Through a system reminiscent of Lego construction, the stones would be attached to each other. An imprint of the old chestnut tree would be visible on the inside of each of the four stone pillars. It would function as a mould for the new tree to be planted there. Once the new chestnut tree would have reached the desired size and strength, and thus would allow it to fit into the imprint of the old tree, the artwork would cease to exist. Every year, new layers of stone would be removed to regain their original function and be reused. In this way, the stones would be in constant motion, just as nature moves with the seasons.

De boom die niet verdwijnt was not executed.