Out of Focus
Status
Permanent
Category
No longer exists
Since
20-03-2023
Explanation
Since 2009, Hester Oerlemans' Tribune stood in the schoolyard of 's-Gravendreef College in Leidschenveen. The students made full use of it. This caused it to wear to such an extent that in consultation with the school, Stroom and the artist it was decided to remove this work of art after more than 13 years. Another consideration was that the technology for playing music via USB has become outdated and that, according to the school, sitting on beer crates is no longer appropriate for the times. The artwork was removed in mid-March 2023. We can still tell from the old photos how much the artwork was in demand by students.
Image
Artwork Data
Artwork Location
Address
Klaas Voskuildreef, Den Haag
City district
Leidschenveen-Ypenburg
GPS data
52.066856475052, 4.3990515447052 View on map
Artwork Description
Text
Three elongated rows of used crates. Each row one crate higher each time. With these simple means, Hester Oerlemans provided the schoolyard of the 's-Gravendreef College in Leidschenveen with a special place. Especially for the students of the school. To chill out on between classes.
By placing the crates upside down and then filling them with concrete, an even seating surface was obtained. As additional gadgets, the artist poured electric cables, a radio with USB connection and two sound boxes into the concrete. This allows the students to play their favorite music to each other.
All those crates stacked together make a monumental abstract sculpture, remotely reminiscent of the minimalist work of American sculptors of the 1960s, such as the world-famous Donald Judd. And although Oerlemans strives for simplification in her work, she is certainly not a minimalist in the traditional sense.
In all her paintings, installations and works in public space, Oerlemans shows us her vision of everyday reality, the art world and her personal surroundings. Sometimes critical, often poetic. With great ease, she mixes divergent worlds. For example, she recreated iconic chair designs in balloons. And with drawings and paintings of rows of colorful beds, she addresses the refugee crisis. She unravels reality in such a way that there is always a tantalizing tension between that which you recognize and that which arouses alienation.
Stand with reused beer crates is obviously a fat nod to the students. Drinking alcohol under the age of 18 is not allowed, but sitting on the empty crates is fine. In any case, the enthusiasm among students to use the interactive stand is no less. They regularly perch on it en masse.