February 7, 2019

Sitting in Blue ©Berkman en Janssens tunnel Rietveldhuis Utrecht 2000

The treasures in the chairs of Rietveld …

 

In 1999, the municipality of Utrecht commissioned Berkman and Janssens, with the permission of the heirs of Gerrit Rietveld and in cooperation with the Ida van Zijl, the Rietveld curator of the Centraal Museum for their design of the tunnel as an external interior.

 

In the archives of the Centraal Museum they researched the original Rietveld chair designs. The result was a series of sketches and paintings. The research into compositions / surface divisions of the Rietveld Schröder House yielded a wall-filling composition in the real colors used by Rietveld: light gray, dark gray, red, white and blue.

 

In 2000 the Rietveld Schröder House was placed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The house is currently under management at the Centraal Museum. This museum provides guided tours of the building and also has an extensive collection of furniture designed by Rietveld, some of which (including the famous red-blue chair) can also be seen in the Rietveld Schröder House.

 

 

February 6, 2019

De Dames en het kleine Hondje ©Berkman en Janssens 2004

Ten thousand hand-decorated ceramic tiles specially made for the Betuweroute

 

The artwork designed by Berkman en Janssens is inspired by the history and discoveries from the neighborhood of the new tunnel. The greyhound dogs come from the coat of arms, there are old tile motifs from the mill and floral elements from the landscape.

 

This artwork is the result of the ‘Master plan for train crossings in urban area‘, written by Berkman and Janssens, commissioned by the Betuweroute – ProRail Project Organization. There are 7 works of art like this, where art classes were given in every city to involve the neighborhood and residents in their own public area.

 

 

 

February 5, 2019

Les Cignes Naarden 2010

 

Swans stay together forever

 

A small papercutting in white cardboard becomes a lace-like fence.

February 5, 2019

One Thousand and one Nights ©Berkman en Janssens Amsterdam 2005

Measurements:  the entire interior

 

Scheherezade in the Kring

 

For the Lustrum of the Thousand and One Night, the artists’ society De Kring in Amsterdam was completely transformed by Berkman en Janssens into a magical and exotic environment. All performances and parties took place in the structure of Arabian Nights. The light design was specially manufactured by DreLight (eg from Peter Greenaway)

 

There was an exhibition in the restaurant with collages and mobiles of shoes.

 

 

February 1, 2019

Eat Me, Drink Me ©Berkman en Janssens Parking Garage Hilversum 2002

Measurements: 1200 m2

 

Alice in Wonderland and Vanitas in Hilversum

 

In the Parking garage Seinhorst you will be tempted by the design of Berkman en Janssens to eat and drink from the pleasures that you will find in the shopping centre. It is a warm welcome…

 

 

 

January 31, 2019

Berenparade ©Berkman en Janssens in de Berenkuil Bicycle tunnel 2001

Measurements:  650 m2

 

Bike with the bears….

 

The thousands of bears and the large colored tableaux are glazed by hand in the delftware factory De Porceleyne Fles in Delft.

 

These four tunnels designed by Berkman en Janssens are a safe and cheerful environment during day and night thanks to this tile art.

 

January 18, 2019

The Desire © Berkman en Janssens, Duivendrecht, Amsterdam 2008

Art gives identity to no man’s land.

 

‘The Desire’ consists of an ensemble of 16 two-dimensional white steel sculptures, from 2.5 to 4 meters high, on both sides of the Holterbergweg, as a corridor over a length of 80 meters near the Duivendrecht station.

 

The (animal) figures symbolize a phase of ‘the human desire’. These white images are inspired by the meaning of figures on the 16th-century carpet series ‘La Dame à la Licorne’, as in earlier works by artist duo Berkman and Janssens in ‘Hortus Conclusus’, Bleiswijk (2006) and  ‘The Love Letter’, Delft (2007).

 

In this series of images in Amsterdam, the source of inspiration is processed into allegorical images. On each side of the road the series is opened and closed by a monkey standing on an arcade arch. Between them are elegant vases, stately flowers of the ‘Fritelliara Imperiales’ and two watching dogs. The images can be interpreted as: lust, shame and innocence protected through loyalty.

 

The images, which are reminiscent of paper-cuttings, are not only visible to cyclists and motorists who use the Holterbergweg, but train and metro passengers traveling from the Duivendrecht station can also see the images clearly.

‘het Verlangen’ – ‘Desire’ is replaced in 2019 in a new composition at the corner of Holterbergweg -Amsterdam – Duivendrecht.

 

January 17, 2019

Exhibition Gravenzaal Haarlem 2017

‘Sealung’ 2017       

Measurements: 10 m x 10 m

Material: algues, led, wool, copper

 

Eurydice 2017

Measurements: 4,5 m x 1,5 m x 1,5 m

Material: Bronze

 

What floats under the surface of the sea, becomes visible. Seaweed and Algues.

The most important element to stay alive comes from the underwater world.

 

 

January 17, 2019

La Vue © Berkman en Janssens Leersum 2009Bicycle tunnel

Measurements: 112 m x 2,5 m

 

Dancing golden Monkeys in the nature reserve ‘Leersumse Veld’ in the Province Utrecht, Holland.

 

The artwork of Berkman en Janssens in the bicycle tunnel consists of 500 m2 of decorated tiles and a fence with a total length of 112 meters.

The title is derived from the carpet series ‘La Dame à la Licorne’, about the meaning of the senses in the concept of desire.