General
The story behind 'De Swing'
You have probably driven past Karel de Grotelaan and looked at the artwork 'De Swing'. It stands out because the artwork seems to change as you drive by. But what is the story behind this sculpture?
The idea for the artwork was formed in 1969 and the artwork was installed in 1977. What is eye-catching about this sculpture is that when you drive past it, it seems to change. You can see a square in it, but also a triangle, trapezium and hourglass. This makes the sculpture extra special.
Origin of concept
The concept for the sculpture was born when artist Arie Berkulin was hammering together a picture frame. Because he couldn't do it, he threw a tantrum and bent the frame so that the top part was horizontally at the bottom part. This resembled how the artwork looks now: with the four different views.
Materials of the artwork
The sculpture is made of four square steel tubes, each tube is 15 meters long. The tubes are made of a steel frame, on top of which are cladding plates made of cortèn steel. This type of steel oxidizes, giving it the rusty brown color that is immediately noticeable on the artwork.
Rusty brown color
Because of the rusty brown color, you might think it was accidentally rusted, but the material was chosen intentionally. The artwork is even cleaned several times a year. It's not intended to get rid of the rust, but simply to regain its original color.
Now you finally know the story behind the artwork!
