Na de storm

In 1674, a storm swept over Utrecht, destroying part of the Dom Church. This was commemorated in 2024. It began with an organ concert in the Dom Church, simultaneously with 3 other organs in different countries. In December and January, Mr. Beam organized a series of projections on the Dom Tower every evening.

This allowed me to finally add the Dom Tower to my bucket list. For two evenings, my work titled ‘after the storm’ appeared in a sequence, very short but long enough to see clearly.

On the first gallery, an Orca family swam, one of them seemingly swimming out of the tower, with shell-like borders as decoration in the framing. When I created it, I imagined what it would be like if climate change really went completely wrong. It seemed like a good image to me if Orcas were swimming around in the tower then.

That fascination with towers started early. At our home hung a lithograph of the Montelbaanstoren, where I later lived for years around the corner with a view of the Zuiderkerk.

Another tower is the Martinitoren in Groningen. For me, it is a beacon of the hospitality I know from the north. Living 100 meters away with a view of the tower provided inspiration for an art project with a presentation of a silkscreen portfolio ‘9 sevens’ about the history of Groningen, at the top of the tower. During that presentation, the carillonneur performed a composition specially written for the occasion.

Whether they are church towers, lighthouses, or water towers, towers are intriguing beacons in the landscape for me. They are very diverse in their history and appearances, and I always enjoy looking at them.

https://www.knmi.nl/kennis-en-datacentrum/achtergrond/zomerstorm-van-1674-domkerk-utrecht-stort-in