SPEECH AT THE UNVEILING OF ELLEN SPIJKSTRA'S SCULPTURE 'THROUGH THE YEARS' HELD ON 26 APRIL 2017 BY JAN GULMANS, CHAIRMAN OF THE BLUE BAY IMAGES FOUNDATION.
SPEECH AT THE UNVEILING OF ELLEN SPIJKSTRA'S SCULPTURE 'THROUGH THE YEARS' ON 26 APRIL 2017
HELD BY JAN GULMANS, PRESIDENT OF THE SITUATION BLUE BAY FOUNDATION. EXCELLENCE, AND OTHER ART FRIENDS MY NAME IS JAN GULMANS AND I WELCOME YOU ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF THE FOUNDATION OF THE IMAGES BLUE BAY FOUNDATION, IN WHICH FREDDY CURIEL MANAGES THE FINANCIAL PORTFOLIO AND SEPP KOSTER ACTS AS SECRETARY. TODAY THE REVELATION OF THE FIRST SCULPTURE OF THE SCULPTURE ROUTE AND OF THE SCULPTURE GARDEN (WILL NOT BE ADVISABLE FOR TWO YEARS). A HAPPY DAY FOR THE BOARD, ELLEN SPIJKSTRA, THE ARTISTS, FOR BLUE BAY RESORT AND FOR CURACAO. THIS IS THAT I WAS COVERED IN THE COLORS OF THE CURACAO FLAG.
A BRIEF REVIEW.
INITIALLY WE WANT TO ESTABLISH A STATUE GARDEN IN THE GARDENS OF COUNTRY HOUSE BLUE, BUT AS IT WAS CLEAR THAT THE RENOVATION OF THE COUNTRY HOUSE WOULD TAKE MORE TIME WE DECIDED TO START WITH A IMAGES ROUTE AND BUY THE SCULPTURES. OUR ADVISORS HAD ALREADY REFERRED TO THE POSSIBILITY OF A IMAGES ROUTE, WHERE SCULPTURE AND LANDSCAPE COULD HARMONIZE VERY WELL. THE IMAGES ROUTE WOULD HAVE A DIFFERENT CHARACTER BECAUSE THE SCULPTURES TO BE PLACED SHOULD BE MUCH MORE MONUMENTAL THAN THE IMAGES THAT WILL COME INTO THE IMAGES GARDEN.
WE ARE THEREFORE OUR ADVISORS: NICOLE HENRIQUEZ, RALPH KEUNING, THOMAS MEIJER ZU SCHLOCHTERN, JENNIFER SMIT, JAN TEEUWISSE AND LUSETTE VERBOOM PARTICULARLY THANKFUL, BECAUSE THE ROUTE LOOKS VERY ATTRACTIVE, SO IT LOOKS ATTRACTIVE. THE FOUNDATION DOES NOT HAVE ANY RESOURCES AND DEPENDING ON SPONSORS WHO CONSIDER WITH THE BOARD THAT IT WILL BE EVERYTHING WORTH ORDERING SEVERAL ARTISTS FROM CURACAO TO CREATE A HIGH LEVEL ARTWORK ON BLUE BAY STATUE GARDEN, WHICH MAY DISTINGUISH THIS ISLAND AND INCLUDE HONOR. THIS MORNING THE ANTILLEAN DAILY WAS AN ARTICLE WITH THE HEADING 'CULTURAL CRISIS IN CURACAO' FOR THE OBSERVATION THAT CULTURE PLAYS A SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN THE ELECTION CAMPAIGN. I MYSELF HAD ALREADY POINTED OUT WITH A LETTER SENT IN THE SAME NEWSPAPER THAT CHATA DOES NOT CONSIDER CULTURE IN HIS PRESENTATION OF THE NEW DIRECTOR. TOURISM CONTRIBUTES TO 25% OF OUR INCOME. THE COMPETITION BETWEEN THE CARIBBEAN ISLANDS IS FIERCE. CULTURE IS IMPORTANT IN TOURIST'S CHOICE FOR A HOLIDAY DESTINATION, PARTICULARLY WITH THE 'BIG SPENDERS'. ART IS AN ESSENTIAL PART OF CULTURE. IT'S TIME FOR A GENERALLY ACCOUNTED CULTURE POLICY AND AN ACTUAL IMPLEMENTATION OF THE STRATEGIC TOURIST MASTER PLAN.
WHAT WILL BE SEEN ON THE IMAGES ROUTE?
WHEN YOU ENTER THE RESORT, THE SCULPTURE 'MAP OF CURACAO' BY AVANTIA DAMBERG WITH A DIMENSIONS OF 3 X 4 METERS, IS FULL OF CORAL STONES ON WHICH THE MOST COMMON NAMES ON CURACAO ARE PRINTED ON BLUE PAINTED BLOCKS. THEN DIVERSELY OPPOSED A LARGE RING OF SUMPINAS, PARAFINE AND ASPHALT OF 6 METERS IN CROSSHEAD BY HERMAN VAN BERGEN. THE EVERTSENBERG looms up through the ring. AT THIS LOCATION IS THE TOTEM 'OVER THE YEARS' BY ELLEN SPIJKSTRA, MADE OF CERAMIC, TERRA SAGILLATA, IRON AND GOLD LEAF. JUST OVER THE HILL, ON THE RIGHT SIDE, A GROUP RISING UP FROM A TABLE MOUNTAIN STONE, A POWER TOUR BY RIEN TE HENNEPE. HIS STONE HAS ARRIVED TODAY AND THE EDITING OF THE MONOLITH WILL BE FOLLOWED LIVE IN THE NEXT TIME ON THE SECURITY GROUNDS HERE ON BLUE BAY. AT THE T-JUNGE AT THE END OF HOLE 18'S FAIRWAY, BRIGITTE WAWOE'S "PEGASUS" MAKES FLAPSING MOVEMENTS. SHE HAD THIS WINGED HORSE WELDED FROM THE MINING COMPANY IRON MATERIALS COLLECTED BY HER COLLECTED. MADE OF THE SAME MATERIAL, BRIGITTE'S UNICORN STANDS ALONG THE ROAD AT THE COUNTRY HOUSE, WHERE THE CROSSING WITH THE GOLF TRACK IS LOCATED. THE SEVENTH OBJECT FLOATS IN THE WATER AND CONSISTS OF PLASTIC, IRON, FOAM AND BLUE WATER BOTTLES THAT THE GUESTS OF THE SUNSET BAR HAVE DRANK. YUBI KIRINDONGO'S BLUE 'BIG B' FLOATS, AT LEAST WE HOPE, LIKE THE WHITE SCULPTURE OF THE ARTIST MARTHA PAN FLOATS IN THE POND OF THE SCULPTURE OF THE KROLLER-MULLER MUSEUM ON THE HIGH VELUWE IN THE NETHERLANDS.
IF THE TRAFFIC AND THE WIND HAVE NOT BLAST MY WORDS YOU WILL NOTICE THAT THE MATERIALS USED BY THE ABOVE ARTISTS ARE OF LOCAL NATURAL AND/OR ALREADY USED NATURE, CHARACTERISTICS OF CURACAO (SCULPTURE). MANY ARTWORKS HAVE A SPIRITUAL TINT. THE STARTING POINT OF OUR SELECTION WAS AND IS THAT THE ARTWORKS ARE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE ARTIST'S WORK IN CONCEPT, FORM AND CHOICE OF MATERIALS AND ARE OUTSTANDING (GOOD).
SOMETHING NEW OR NOTHING NEW.
AS A FREELANCER, IN THE PAST MONTHS I HAVE WROTE A SERIES OF ARTICLES ON BRONZE HERITAGE AND THE THREE LARGE STATUES ON CURACAO. I HAVE THANKFULLY MADE USE OF THE BOOK 'MONUMENTS AND STATUES OF THE DUTCH ANTILLES' OF THE ART HISTORIAN AND CURATOR JENNIFER SMIT AND OF THE PHOTOS OF HER FATHER THE KNOWN ARCHITECT BEN SMIT. ALSO THROUGH MY INVENTORY I CONCLUSION THAT AN ISLAND LIKE CURACAO IS VERY RICH IN STATUES AND MONUMENTS FROM THE 19th, 20th and 21st CENTURIES. SMIT AND I DO NOT DIFFERENT IN CONSIDERATION THAT THERE IS ART AND MISART BETWEEN THESE OBJECTS. TASTES WILL DIFFER AND KNOWLEDGE ABOUT ART MORE. I WAS LAST AT THE CURACAO MUSEUM AND HEAR THAT A WOMAN STANDING IN FRONT OF THE PAINTING 'THE HERIT', WITH THOSE ENORMOUS CLOUDS, BY CAREL WILLINK, SAY TO HER HUSBAND, 'WHAT A SKY, huh?', TO WHICH THE MAN SAYED: I SMELL NOTHING!'
ART CAN'T ACTUALLY BE CAPTURED IN A DEFINITION. IT IS A PSYCHOLOGICAL, SOCIOLOGICAL AND HISTORICALLY Bound UNDERSTANDING. WHAT WE FIND UGLY, BEAUTIFUL, INCOMprehensible, OR INTERESTING IS PROBABLY NOT BEFORE OUR ANIMALS. FOR OUR DESCENDANTS IT WILL ALSO BE DIFFERENT. JHR W.SANDBERG, WITH CHRIS ENGELS ONE OF THE MOTORS OF CURACAO ART AWARENESS IN THE Fifties AND EARLY 60s OF THE PREVIOUS CENTURY, CONSIDERS THAT ART IS A REFLECTION OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT. FOR ME, ART MUST CREATE INTEREST AND ATTACH ME BY FORM, COLOR, COMPOSITION, CONSTRUCTION, VOLUME, STRUCTURE, MATERIAL USE AND SPACE USE. ART MUST DO SOMETHING TO YOUR MIND AND RUN YOUR FANTASY. IT IS SOMEONE SAYED: “There's NO ART TO IT” AND “MY LITTLE BROTHER CAN DO THAT TOO”. MY GRANDCHILDREN ONCE MADE ART AS A GIFT FOR MY BIRTHDAY, BUT KAREL APPEL WAS BETTER!
IMAGES ARE NOT A NEW APPEARANCE ON CURACAO. MODERN IMAGES ALSO NOT. YUBI KIRINDONGO WAS ONE OF THE FIRST LOCAL ARTISTS TO HAVE AN IMAGE IN PUBLIC SPACE IN THE SEVENties AND HIS LARGE TRIUMPH ARCH IN ITS OWN SQUARE IS DEFINITELY NOT HIS LAST.
WHAT IS NEW IS A SCULPTURE ROUTE OF MONUMENTAL SCULPTURES ON CURACAO AND SOON A STUDY GARDEN WITH WORK BY ARTISTS ONLY LIVED AND WORKED ON CURACAO AND STILL LIVING HERE. ABOUT 30 OBJECTS TOGETHER. I CAN'T SAY IT SUFFICIENTLY: THIS DEPENDS ON FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR PURCHASING OR ADOPTION OF A ARTWORK BY BENEFICIARIES.
A WEBSITE ABOUT OUR PROJECT IS ALREADY ON THE AIR BUT STILL IN PROGRESS. AVANTIA DAMBERG CREATED THIS SITE AND GIVED A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF HER HONORARY AS A DONATION TO THE FOUNDATION. THE BOARD IS ANTOINNETTE KREMER, SEPP KOSTER'S SECRETARY VERY RECOGNIZED FOR HER MANY MANUFACTURING SERVICES AND THAT ALSO APPLIES TO ROELLA BLOEM, TAX ASSISTANT, VAN DELOITTE. GENERAL MANAGER MARIJN HALSEMA AND SECURITY DIRECTOR RONNY ERLING HAVE ALREADY DONE A GOOD JOB FOR THE EVENT HAPPENING TODAY, WE WILL NEED THEM HARDLY FOR WHAT TO COME. BEFORE PROCEEDING TO THE JOINT REVEALED OF ELLEN'S PACKED ITEM, I PLEASE GIVE THE WORD TO SEPP KOSTER, THE DEVELOPER OF THIS RESORT.
EXCELLENCE, WOMEN AND MEN
THEN WE GO ON TO WHAT EVERYONE HAS COME FOR: THE REVEALING OF THE SCULPTURE 'OVER THE YEARS'. AS THE PLATE ON THE STONE INDICATES, THE ARTIST IS STILL YOUNG BUT EXPERIENCES. SHE IS GENEROUS, BECAUSE SHE HAS MADE IT POSSIBLE TO START REALIZING THE IMAGES ROUTE NOW. SHE IS ALSO SMART BECAUSE SHE MADE THIS WORK WITH THE HELP OF TRAINEE TIMOTHY VOGES AND WITH TWO OTHERS AND A PICK-UP ASSEMBLE THIS TOTEM ON A PEDESTAL MADE AND GIVEN BY MULTIBOUW VAN HENK AND WIJNIE WOLFS SHOP. A TOTEM IS, ACCORDING TO WIKIPEDIA (70,500,000 HITCHES!!): A NATURAL OR SUPERNATURAL OBJECT, BEING OR ANIMAL THAT HAS PERSONAL SYMBOLIC MEANING FOR AN INDIVIDUAL AND WHOSE PHENOMENA AND ENERGY ARE CONNECTED WITH. TAKING THE WORD TOTEM POLE APPEARS THAT THIS MEANS SANCTUARY AND IS INDIAN FOR FAMILY SIGN. WHATEVER IT IS IN ELLEN SPIJKSTRA'S BOOK 'GLOBAL LOCAL' TO LEARN MUCH MORE ABOUT THE LIFE AND WORK OF THIS IMPORTANT ARTIST, WHO BROUGHT THE GREAT CERAMICISTS OF THE EARTH TO CURACAO. SHE SAYS: “MY SURROUNDINGS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT SOURCE OF INSPIRATION FOR MY WORK. THE SHAPES AND TEXTURES OF CORAL, THE PATTERN OF A LEAF OR HOW THE REFLECTION OF A SHIP COLORS THE WATER. MY WORK IS ABOUT HARMONY, BALANCE AND REST. MATERIALS AND THE PROCESS OF EROSION AND DAMAGE fascinate me. I USE THIS IN RHYTHMIC COMPOSITIONS OR FORMS. THROUGH THE YEARS IS INSPIRED BY THE YEAR RINGS OF THE ROYAL PALM. GOOD (RAIN RICH) OR BAD (DRY) YEARS DETERMINE WHETHER THE RING GOES NARROW OR WIDE, GOLD OR BLACK.
THANK YOU FOR THEIR COOPERATION TO MY COLLEAGUES, LIKE OUR ADVISORS, WHO MADE THEIR THOUGHT AND ACTIVITY AVAILABLE TO THE FOUNDATION. THANK MY WIFE FOR HER CRITICAL-ANALYTICAL CONTRIBUTION FROM THE BIRTH OF THE STUDY GARDEN IDEA TO TODAY AND HER ENCOURAGING WORDS. AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENCE IN PARTICULAR ALESSANDRA LAITEMPERGHER, CURATOR OF MODERN SCULPTURE OF THE MUSEUM IMAGES BY THE SEA IN SCHEVENINGEN, WHO REPLACES ITS DIRECTOR, JAN TEEUWISSE, AND MANY FOR THE SUPPORT DURING THE PAST PERIOD.
I REQUEST MY COLLEAGUES AND ELLEN TO COME TO THE TOTEM TO JOINTLY REVEAL THE FIRST SCULPTURE OF THE IMAGES ROUTE.
Herman Verboom, Yubi Kirindongo. Sepp Koster, Antoinette Kramer and Lusette Verboom