About Time (Over tijd - 4 parts)

About this artwork.

Four wooden mooring piles with steel objects on top of them have been placed in the Noord-Willemskanaal, close to the road running parallel to the canal. The four objects all represent an aspect of time, specifically: the ancient Greek sign for time, derived from an hourglass; the coat hanger, symbol of routine, repetition and daily grind; a Mickey Mouse head, rotating with the wind, as a symbol of leisure; and an inexplicable movable shape as a symbol of the elusiveness of time.
 
 Gert-Jan Mulder's design was inspired by the fact that the meaning of sailing signs eludes most people. The posts are therefore “misleading” beacons: upon closer inspection, the steel objects do not appear to be what they initially resemble. For example, the hourglass is asymmetrical, the coat hanger has a strange hook and the house has only a single window and unusual protrusions as well.
 
 The following anecdote shows that Mulder succeeded in creating confusion with the sculpture. A professional skipper, who passed by while the artist was installing the piles, was immediately confused. With the manual of signs in his hand he stormed out of his wheelhouse and shouted over the water to Mulder asking what they meant. 
 
 There are various sculptures by Gert-Jan Mulder in the city. Together with Daniel Libeskind he worked on the Stadsmarkering project (A7 towards Drachten) and designed a group of sculptures at the former Martinihal (now MartiniPlaza). Mulder gained national fame with the “facade project”. In doing so, he temporarily had the facade of the Groninger Stadsschouwburg experience a true metamorphosis.

Facts & Figures.

• Design
  Gert Jan Mulder

• District
  Rivierenbuurt & Herewegbuurt

• Year of creation
  1993

• Art type
  Freestanding sculpture

• Material
  Wood, Steel

• Dimensions
  h 4,00/4,00/3,00/5,00 m