Work on installing the works of art along the Wehe-den-Hoon and Mensingeweer roundabouts has started. The works of art that will be placed at the Leens roundabout are ready and will also be installed at the end of this year.
House of Design has drawn up a design document for the entire N361 in which the frameworks for the final designs are established. The colours and lines of the Hogeland, the meandering Reitdiep, historical elements of both buildings and landscape and the imagination of the De Ploeg art circle were examined.
For the design of the three roundabouts, House of Design asked three artists/designers from the De Local Maakplaats project to come up with a design based on the document:
1. design Leens: Eileen Blackmore (Zoutkamp)
2. design Wehe-den Hoorn: Gerard de Hoop from Studio Volop (Groningen)
3. Mensin Rifle design: Volken de Vlas from Studio Volop (Glimmen)
The following designers/artists/craftsmen were approached for the design in Winsum, Sauwerd, Adorp and the fast cycle path: Simone Larabi (Groningen), Paul Bloemers (Groningen), Marc Paulusma (Groningen) and Wiebren Veenstra (Rottum, Frl)
Preparations for this are already in full swing and will be installed in the spring of 2024.
Roundabout Leens
“Trees Above Ground” and “Dijkhuisjes”
Three works of art will be placed at the Leens roundabout. Two steel trees on either side and dike houses on a dike on the side of the village.
The Hogeland has known many remarkable people, some more famous than others. In Leens these included H.N. Werkman and Ede Staal, unique people who dared to stand out. Just like the trees that rise above the flat land of Groningen.
An outline of a tree made of corten steel, a shape that is often seen in the Groningen landscape.
The Groninger Tree will be about 12 meters. The tree is a silhouette that you can see through. The shadow of the tree forms the core with branches on the road.
On the dike along the village, outlines of houses appear as if they are hidden behind the dike, a link to Vierhuizen and Zoutkamp, which suggests the idea that the village is located behind this dike.
The shape of the tree is inspired by a work of art by H.N. Werkman “Wagen in Bos” in honour of Werkman who lived in Leens. The choice of Corten steel is a nod to Ede Staal, who also lived in Leens.
Roundabout Wehe-den Hoorn
“TIGGEL”
The artwork TIGGEL is a tribute to the architecture and the development of red brick. With the refinement of baked bricks and the arrival of new masonry techniques, the red-baked Groningen brick played a prominent role in the new expressionist architecture of the Amsterdam school and architects such as Egbert Reitsma and Siebe Jan Bouma, both of whom were members of the art circle ‘De Ploeg’.
Roundabout Mensingeweer
“..”
A work of art with multiple faces. Two important periods in Groningen’s history are shown in a single image: the Middle Ages and the Industrial Revolution.
From Lauwersoog the contours of a recognizable brick factory from the 19th century appear. From Winsum, the columns form an archetypal medieval church.
Driving past the columns made from old Groningen hand molds, the work of art tells the story of the very important red brick. Introduced by monks with the arrival of medieval monastery jokes, it was further developed in the following centuries into the well-known red brick and led to the arrival of dozens of brick factories in the 19th century.
The artwork does not yet have a name. The people of Groningen will later be asked to come up with an appropriate name! If you have a suitable name, it can be emailed to info@houseofdesign.nl
Vanishing points on all three roundabouts:
Eileen Blackmore wanted to reflect the typical lines of the fields in planes at the roundabouts. Together with Laos Landscape Architecture, this was made concrete by filling in the surfaces with the shades of the colors of wild flowers.
Herb-rich areas as an ode to the landscape. In the form of three lanes, a vanishing point is formed that accentuates the vastness of the landscape. These strips are formed by different color shades of flower mixtures.
blues, whites and greens predominate. In line with the ‘Colors in the Landscape’ of the design document.
Closer to the city we sow annuals and perennials with bright colors. Various red colors at the Wehe-den Hoorn roundabout, an ode to the architects of the De Ploeg art circle.
The Mensin Rifle roundabout has more yellow and orange flowers that refer to the history of grain and lime.
Near Ranum and Winsum the color accents are more diffuse. Here we mainly respond to the function of the flower meadows: picking and stopping places for bees and other insects.
Laos Landscape Architecture and Tuinburo Roelke Nienhuis are involved in the landscape design.
The lighting design for the works of art in Leens, Wehe-den Hoorn and Mensin Rifle is carried out by Lichtpunt (Groningen)