Schokgolven

2021 - 'Dichter op het Water', Museum Schokland, Schokland (NL)

A sculpture in the form of a pier or jetty that turns into two waves. Located on the edge of the former island of Schokland.

Schokland was a peninsula until 1450, but the sea washed away a large piece of land and Schokland becomes an island. In the beginning of the 19th century, the island was hit by a complete flood and in 1859, King Willem III ordered the island to be evacuated.

In 1942, the reclamation of the Noordoostpolder is complete and the island is no longer surrounded by water, but by farmland.

The former island still lies slightly higher in the landscape. The wooden jetty runs from the elevation of the former island into the surrounding lower-lying landscape. As a reminder that this is where the water once was. The jetty can be walked on, but not to the end. Halfway down, the platform on which you can walk turns into a wave. After this wave, the jetty continues higher and a second wave follows. The construction also tapers and this shape gives an illusion of depth, but also plays with the issue of vulnerability. After the second wave, the jetty continues upwards, referring to the rise of the water and the need to act accordingly.

The commission is part of an art route organised by Museum Schokland on the former island Schokland.