In the making: new artwork Ron van der Ende

We have been working hard on the preparations for Sash, a monumental work of art by Ron van der Ende. The project was initiated by the residents' initiative Kunst op de Kop, which has championed a better area design for the area surrounding the Voorschoterlaan metro station in Kralingen. This summer the outdoor space will be renovated and Ron van der Ende will place his artwork on the facade of an apartment complex on the corner of Voorschoterlaan and Oudedijk.

The perspective bas-relief of a highly magnified classic sliding window will emerge from the facade in a spectacular way. The facade is not denied, but completed with the open sculpture. The impressive construction refers in form and scale to a triumphal arch.

The starting point is to make the work from locally found waste material. Logs from the neighborhood are used for this. This material was preserved by firing, which gave it a deep dark color. Over time, the wood will age under the influence of sunlight. The artwork establishes a connection between the old and the new by applying a classic window to a recent facade, executed in a traditional technique with natural materials.

Ron vanderEnde: "Sash will be my first large outdoor relief. Normally I work with scrap wood, but that doesn't adapt well for outdoor use. I therefore choose to translate my technique into suitable materials for the outdoor area. In the search for a good idea with a link to the neighbourhood, I came across the sliding window. The sliding window is already present in the street with mainly monumental 19th-century houses. By my design Sash To add to the almost blind front facade, I refer to the existing architecture and at the same time to looking, breathing and dreaming (again).

The facade belongs to a building by architect Wim Quist and is owned by Woonstad, which supports the project. From a series of sketch assignments to artists, the residents chose the Rotterdam artist Ron van der Ende† It is Ron van der Ende's first monumental work of art in public space. BKOR led the selection process together with artistic advisor and visual artist Olphaert den Otter.

Art historian and journalist Sandra Smets wrote an essay about Ron van der Ende. The Text can be read here.

This project is made possible by CBK Rotterdam/BKOR and Woonstad, with contributions from Stichting Droom en Daad, Stichting Job Dura Fonds and Mondriaan Fund.