Space for art
… in the business park
25/07/2023
‘Art is an important part of the premises,’ says Facility Coordinator Ron van Koningsveld about the importance of art around Alliander’s building in Amsterdam Sloterdijk, where a work from the existing collection has been moved to another location. This video is an introduction to the projects and to the community of QKunst. Because what does that mean: space for art? After each episode, we offer a behind-the-scenes look via an in-depth article, this time: art in the business park.
QKunst’s role in … repurposing art
QKunst has been assisting the government and businesses in all aspects of collection management for nearly two decades. Moving and repurposing art is a part of that. With large (outdoor) sculptures, this is sometimes complex, because both the content and the physical aspect must come together at a new location. There are also technical preparations involved such as checking the bearing capacity, cables and wiring, for which we work together with specialists.
Relatively fragile heritage
We are often asked if we can appraise permanently fixed art that has been commissioned. The issue then is not the economic value, but the intrinsic artistic value. In this case, we start researching among other things the original commission, the artist’s body of work and any other artworks by his, her or their hand in the Netherlands Collection. But we also look at the value of the ensemble: to what extent are the artwork and its surroundings connected to each other?
Valuations such as these are important for the owner of a collection or a building to make well informed decisions. For example, when a building or a site changes function, is refurbished or renovated. Fortunately, there is more and increasingly timely attention to art in these processes. This spring, the Dutch National Cultural Heritage Agency (RCE) organized a meeting called ‘Platform Art in Public Spaces’ where professionals, managers and creators exchanged knowledge and experiences about this special part of our heritage that is relatively unprotected and vulnerable.
Haven’t seen the video with QKunst team member Melody Toering about the relocation of art at Alliander yet? Watch it here!
