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Abstract art is often compared to music. It is intangible and refers to nothing but itself. This is how visual artist Ger Dekker sees his own work. It is what it is', he said in interviews. His abstract geometric paintings, spatial constructions and his sculptures in relation to architecture should not be interpreted as personal expression, reactions to social situations or the creation of a new world.

This also applies to the 'Group of objects with nineteen poles' that he made for Loosduinen in 1984 together with fellow artist Pjotr van Oorschot. They are simply nineteen fibre-optic poles that are placed, obliquely or not, along cycle paths, near flats and in the park. What is striking is that they are all painted with the same abstract stripe pattern in different colours.

Like Dekker, Van Oorschot belongs to a group of nationally known artists who, in the 1970s and 1980s, produced much abstract art for the public space. The aim of such art was often to beautify the (outdoor) space and to underline or improve its spatial effect without lapsing into decoration. They also did commissions for applied work. For example, Van Oorschot devised the undulating concrete noise barriers along the A10 motorway in Amsterdam-Noord in 1989.

The artists regularly worked together. In 1978, for example, they painted a large mural on the bare wall of Juttersplein in Den Helder. The abstract painting in ochre yellow, white and dark blue was intended to give the square a more spacious appearance. According to newspaper reports, this was successful. That social aspect, as well as operating on the border between architecture, spatial planning and visual art, is typical of these two artists. It is also reflected in the nineteen poles in Loosduinen.