"Amsterdammertjes are landmarks in the city of Amsterdam since 1972. These erect dark red steel posts marked with "X X X" symbolise the Amsterdam city herald. The old ones were shaped like a lighthouse to protect pedestrians from coming danger of bikes and cars. The latest models are thin and clumsy. They are always in your way especially when two people are walking together, with prams or for wheelchair-users. I love them when they are personalized by citizens in colours, utilized as coffee tables or plant stands. Gradually the council eliminates them to replace them by ordinary pavement dividers.
My Amster'stammetje is a vase in red terra cotta. It's skin is made from the relief of a tree bark in the Amsterdamse Bos (park). The shape is a blend between an Amsterdammertje and a tree trunk ('stam' in Dutch), which refers to the fact that there is very little space for nature in Holland. Trees have to march in perfect rows and equal distance along the roads. It is also a reminder of the old Amsterdammertjes that are either standing upright or totally crooked. The crosses in this tree stem were 'not' made to symbolise the city herald of Amsterdam. They were carved in the tree by the forester to make it die, just like the disappearing Amsterdammertjes in the city."
/ prototypes / vases
