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In the middle of the city, on a pedestal, stands a sculpture that resembles a birdhouse. But the house turns out to be a jug and there is no bird to be seen. The sculpture that Maria Roosen has made for the Sculpture Gallery is therefore primarily about sculpture. For a long time, this leading sculptor in the Netherlands was on the wish list of P. Struycken, initiator of the Sculpture Gallery. The obligatory pedestal, however, was the biggest stumbling block in finally being able to give her a commission for a pedestal sculpture. She rightly asks the question: which sculptor still uses a classical plinth since the world-famous Constantin Brancusi (1876-1957) started making plinths that look like sculptures at the beginning of the 20th century?

Roosen eventually found a suitable solution. She regularly uses constructions of birch trunks in her work. And that is also the case here. She placed such a structure, reminiscent of a birdhouse, on the given plinth. From this she then hung a glass jug. She had the jug made in aluminium. In contrast to the high-gloss polished jug, Roosen left the skin of the stainless steel birch trunk rough. The contrast between these two materials emphasises the contrasts between nature and culture. Hanging from one ear, the exterior of the jug reflects the urban environment more than vividly. Its shiny interior seems almost to suck the viewer in.

Around 1990 Roosen created a furore with her glass sculptures. Until then, this material had mainly been used for decorative purposes, but with her glass jugs, penises, breasts and flowers in various colours, Roosen was able to depict themes such as growth, flowering, fertility, love and decline. The material and process of creation coincide with the theme. Hanging in trees, placed on racks or simply on the ground, her sculptures are attractive and easily accessible. A touch of humour and a little eroticism do the rest.