Artwork Data
Artwork Location
Address
Calliopestraat, Den Haag
City district
Centrum
GPS data
52.080308207336, 4.3185284005249 View on map
Artwork Description
Text
In the early nineties of the twentieth century, a completely new district arose between the Central Station and the old historic centre. This neighbourhood, built in various modern and postmodern architectural styles, would form a transition between the high-rise buildings of the business district around the station and the lower architecture of the old The Hague. The internationally renowned architect Rob Krier was invited to develop the urban plan in 1988. It became a post-modern enclave where living, working and catering would flow together as a matter of course.
In order to realise his plan, Krier invited renowned fellow architects such as Michael Graves and Sjoerd Soeters. They, too, worked in a (post-) modern style. They made designs for homes, shops and catering establishments and provided appropriate transitions between the new building and the older, immediate surroundings.
Among them was architect Gunnar Daan. He designed houses and shops on the corner of Herengracht, Fluwelen Burgwal and Calliopestraat. Like Krier, Daan was not only an architect but also a sculptor. He most likely added a sculpture of his own to crown the round tower on the corner building. It is a series of simple figures cut out of Corten steel. Because he has placed them next to each other in a circle, they seem to move: dancing architects.