Natural Balance (Natuurlijk evenwicht)

About this artwork.

The colossal oak tree used to hew this sculpture had 245 annual growth rings inside. The centuries-old tree stood in the Sterrebos, but in the 1970s it was sacrificed to the construction of the southern ring road that passed right through the Sterrebos. 
 
 Now part of the monumental tree “lives on” as a piece of art in the botanical garden of the Stadspark. Seen from a distance, the sculpture looks like an abstract tree. Shapes and figures, including two human figures, can be seen in the wood as you get closer. Although the sculpture is definitely not symmetrical, it has a certain balance to it.
 
 In 2010 it fell over: it had rotted all the way through. It is surprising that this happened after only 33 years. The sculpture was not removed: it still stands there in accordance with the intention of the artist who wants to show the natural process of transience.
 
 Jef Depassé primarily works as a sculptor in garden and landscape architecture. His work is both figurative and abstract and is not limited to a single material: apart from wood, the artist works with all sorts of stone and also makes bronze and welded-brass sculptures.

Facts & Figures.

• Design
  Jef Depassé

• District
  Stadspark

• Year of creation
  1977

• Art type
  Freestanding sculpture

• Material
  Oak

• Dimensions
  h 3,00 m