VERKLEURINGEN (DISCOLOURATIONS)

Art in the ‘Bos op Houwingham’ (north-east of Groningen), commissioned by the county Groningen.

Now, in the place where the former peat-land Houwingham was once submerged by the sea, a nature- and recreational area with a water storage function resides. Recent archaeological investigations have discovered a hallchurch and two so-called ‘stone houses’ under the current fields. Both archaeological digs and modern day magneto measurements reveal traces of the past in the discolouration of the Dutch soil. This phenomenon of discolouration is visible through discolouration on a concrete surface. Traces of oxidation of steel grit map out the shapes of quays and dykes as rusty brown discolourations on the concrete. The locations of the archaeological monuments are marked by elements of baked clay. This clay presents us with a footprint of the hallchurch and the two stone houses in its relief. Seven concrete plateaus (5 x 5 meter) are scattered over seven strategical places in the area and help people orient themselves in the Bos op Houwingham.

Design: August 2008
Completion: 16 October 2013