Text

Actually, the idea was that you could sit on this bench on both sides. One side overlooking the - then still - station square. And on the other side a seat with a view of the green zone along the small river Schenk. Because of costs, the artists had to limit themselves to one seating area. Anneloes Groot and Ellen Vos were commissioned by Aegon in 1986 to create a special bench. On the occasion of their anniversary, Aegon donated this bench to the neighborhood.

Visual artist Groot has been meticulously recording the extraordinary reconstruction district of Mariahoeve and all its changes for years in countless watercolors, drawings and paintings. Moreover, she guards the historical value of the architecture, urban structure and art and shares that knowledge with local residents and interested parties (dna-mariahoeve.nl). Groot looked for the right location for the bench and also made sure the material and color matched the architecture in the area. "It's a concrete neighborhood, so then you also make the bench out of different types of concrete," she says. "Because Mariahoeve was still very gray in the 1980s, and we wanted to match the facade of Aegon, we designed the bench light in color (tavertin). With a wooden accent".

The shape of the sofa in particular reflects Vos' hand: clean, geometric lines with an asymmetrical element. The slightly curved back provides a sense of shelter. Vos is primarily active as a sculptor and designer. For decades she has worked as a teacher at the Royal Academy of Art. From 1980, she worked for more than fifteen years with the famous environmental artist Joop Beljon on their City without End.

When the square was redesigned in 2001, the bench was moved, but it is now back in its original spot.