New neon line of poetry at OBS Het Landje

Nearly 700 children from 25 classes heralded the unveiling of the poem on the facade of the school building of OBS Het Landje on Friday 20 May 2022. With the ignition of the neon line of poetry, a four-year trajectory came to an end. In 2017, former city poet Derek Otte composed three lines of poetry on behalf of the Friends of Het Landje. The design of the realized version was made by Bart Oppenheimer.

In January 2018, the inventory of the technical possibilities and the analysis of the layers of meaning of the line of poetry began I used to want to be big, it was later before I knew it. The text contains a jump in time, which Oppenheimer made spatially visible by cutting the line and draping parts over both sides of the building. This means that the passer-by will only understand the work as soon as he turns the corner. The bare neon tube is mounted on a steel frame without a metal casing. This choice supports the suggestion of a text and at the same time ensures a distinction between the verse and the building.

The project has been delayed for several years due to the death of initiator and promoter Chris van der Meulen. After artist Peter Fengler picked up the project leadership thread, the work could eventually be realized, with a few adjustments.