The House (Het Huis)

About this artwork.

The House seems made to represent the current role of philosophy in relation to the other sciences. René Descartes compared the philosophy with a tree in which the roots stood for metaphysics and the branches for the various fields of science. Nowadays, however, philosophy is no longer the foundation of science, but just a floor level somewhere in the house of science. Her role in this is critical: she illuminates those areas precisely where it was thought that everything was self-evident. But philosophy is also constructive; it makes connections and thus ensures coherence and discussion in the house of science. 

The House is the last realised design by the artist Tiddo Nieboer, who died in 2002. Colleague Harm van Weerden took on the construction in close consultation with Jacoba Wijk the widow of the deceased artist. 

This artwork by Tiddo Nieboer is part of the art project Kennisjaren 1994-2014 (Years of Knowledge 1994–2014) of the University of Groningen. This project was started in 1994 on the occasion of the 380th anniversary of the university and ended in 2014 on the occasion of its 400th anniversary.

Facts & Figures.

• Design
  Tiddo Nieboer

• District
  Centrum

• Year of creation
  2003

• Art type
  Freestanding sculpture