Text

If you follow the traffic on the Koningskade, you only see a glimpse of the gigantic concrete pylons in front of the Rijkswaterstaat building. Those with more time can climb the small dike. There, the deafening noise of flowing water can be heard. Around the pillars, new viewpoints are constantly emerging.

The design of the monument for Rijkswaterstaat is well thought-out in every respect. The creator and maker (Joop Beljon: sculptor and environmental designer) was director of the nearby Royal Academy of Art for many years (1958-1985).

As a type designer and graphic artist, Beljon had developed distinctive ideas about design. He put these forward in projects, lectures and books. The starting point was man and the way he would experience the work, both spiritually and physically. Beljon based his ideas on the basic shapes of nature and the square and dome of Sufi architecture from the ancient Persians. According to Beljon, a universal language of form made it possible for artists all over the world to work together.

His vision on environmental design was of great influence. Too much building, too little art' was his criticism of contemporary architecture. In his book 'Twelve Environments', he illustrates his vision by means of twelve projects in public space. His first work was a 120-metre-long partition on a motorway in Long Beach, California, intended as a 'visual deterrent' for motorists.

For the Koningskade, Beljon intended to bridge the contrast between man and building by varying the height and thickness of the pylons. The imprint of the wooden formwork makes the concrete 'caressable'. The dike, the water, the position of the sun, the colour and the height of the pylons, all together form a true monument to the Department of Public Works and a typical example of Beljon's ideas.