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Just behind the Kruisplein, on the Diergaardesingel, is a small square where on Saturday 28 November 2015 from 16: 30 hours a subtle and fairytale artwork by Herman Lamers will be unveiled.
At the initiative of the Alliance West-Kruiskade, with the support of BKOR (Visual Arts & Public Space, a program of CBK Rotterdam) and in collaboration with the City Development Department of the municipality of Rotterdam, the small square received the attention it needed.
New layout of the square
The square on the Diergaardesingel, just behind the Kruisplein, was given a new look through various interventions. The building on the corner of Kruisplein and Diergaardesingel, by architectural firm Mecanoo, was closed at the bottom, but has now been made open and transparent by using a long glass wall. It has now become much more part of the square.
The square was crowned with a work of art by Herman Lamers, entitled Zebra in the Nests, which consists of four sculptures that emit a diffuse and soft light at night. Due to the redesign and the arrival of the artwork, the square has become a friendly and inviting place.
About the artwork
Zebra in the Nests was made by visual artist Herman Lamers. Lamers (1954) lives and works in Rotterdam and has already realized many permanent and temporary works of art in the public space of Rotterdam and other cities. His work often focuses on the context and location of an assignment, and ranges from figurative to abstract spatial: Abstraction, realism and poetry often go together in both form and material choice. Lamers previously made the Giant of Rotterdam en the angel in Zwolle.
His new work Zebra in the Nests refers to the time when the Diergaarde Blijdorp was located on the center side of the track. During the outbreak of the Second World War in the Netherlands, the headquarters of the Diergaarde was at the head of the Kruiskade and the Diergaardesingel. As a result of the bombing, the animals were able to escape from the zoo, and they walked around freely: Zebras grazed on the Diergaardesingel and a sea lion ended up in the Westersingel, so the story goes.
Program of the unveiling
The unveiling of Zebra in the Nests forms the festive end to a whole day that is dedicated to the reopened Kruisplein, as a new pedestrian promenade from Rotterdam Central to the city center. In a short program, starting at 17:00 PM, Suardus Ebbinge (chairman of the Rotterdam Center Area Committee) will first speak. Visual artist Herman Lamers then briefly explains his work, after which Zebra in the Nests officially unveiled by Rob Durand (Bram Ladage, Kruisplein).
Made possible by
Europa invests in your future. This project has been made possible thanks to a contribution from the EuEuropean Regional Development Fund EuEuropean Union. Zebra in the Nests is further made possible by the municipality of Rotterdam, Woonstad Rotterdam and the Alliance West-Kruiskade.
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