Concrete, matchsticks, ribbon cable (30w x 50d x 10h cm)
January 2008
The theme and title of this work refers to the impression which the Dutch landscape has made upon me as a foreigner. The characteristic which strikes me as most prominent is the almost total lack of any element which has been left to chance; almost every square metre appears to have had a purpose assigned to it. Furthermore, it is not permitted to simply wander onto and explore any part of the countryside that one may desire, since access is restricted to certain delineated areas and pathways. The little blue-and-white sign Verboden Toegang (no entrance) is to be seen everywhere. It is this that inspired the title of this work. There seems always to be something appealing in the distance, out of reach and almost out of sight; the little trees stand for this, that is to say an untouchable dream-state which remains always out of bounds.
The wooden matchsticks which support the concrete slab refer to the fact that much of the old city of Amsterdam, and indeed other cities of similar age in the Netherlands, are supported on wooden piles sunk into the soft, waterlogged ground beneath the city. While it may seem that we are standing on shaky foundations, which may creak and groan and buckle at the corners, they do regardless manage to hold us above the water and out of harm’s way.
While one, ten, or twenty of these little matchsticks could not support such a massive weight, together (and with a struggle) they manage to do so. Clichéd as this may seem, it is and remains how a society functions and how we literally and metaphorically hold back the tide.