NEWSLETTER

© krijn giezen

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By recycling the dirt and rubbles from the roads and buildings which were destroyed for the construction of the port of Rotterdam, the artist built a “sound-proof botanical barrier” protecting the village of Rhoon from the harbour’s sight and noise. All recycled materials, except for polluted ones, were discharged by the contractors themselves into an enormous steel cage designed by the artist and measuring 6 m high, by 3,50 m wide. Its undulating shape provides stability to the wall which functions both as a sound-proof barrier and an ecological masterwork. With the seasons, the wall will change and evolve as its vegetation will continue to grow organically, taking on different shapes and colors, and this sound-proof barrier will take on a life of its own. A group of botanical students has been assigned to follow and record its different phases.
The wall was finished in 1993, but other related elements, conceived by the artist, could eventually be added to it. His original proposal suggested the addition of a cafeteria made from recycled containers, to be built on top the wall, and accessible by a staircase that would offer a panoramic view.