Space for art
… in the metro station
19/12/2023
“People regularly send me selfies with the artwork,” Marjan Laaper says, who created ‘Lifelines’ at the Vijzelgracht metro station on the North-South Line in Amsterdam. QKunst supervised the installation of artwork in all stations on the line. Our video series #SpaceForArt is an introduction to the projects of QKunst and to its community. Because what does that actually mean: space for art? After each episode, we offer a behind-the-scenes-look, this time: art in the metro station.
QKunst’s role in … art in the metro station
Art has been installed in all metro stations of the North-South Line. Each artwork gives a station its own identity and serves as a reference point for travellers. The North-South Line has been in operation since 2018. QKunst was commissioned by the municipality of Amsterdam to provide artistic supervision. Qkunst formulated the basic principles, selected the artists and supported the artistic process from design to completion. For seven years we liaised between all parties involved: the municipality, the advisory committee, the architects, the artists, the contractors, and the suppliers.
Art enhances the recognisability of the stations, makes the wait more pleasant, increases the feeling of safety and is instrumental in creating an atmosphere. But above all, seeing art when travelling is an encounter with the unexpected. Did you know that you can scan a QR code in each station to learn more about the creators and the stories behind each artwork?
Visit this page to learn more about the artwork at each station.
Art in public spaces in Amsterdam
Amsterdam has a long tradition when it comes to art in public spaces. In the past, many works were created through the percentage rule: 0.5 to 2% of the budget of new construction projects or renovation projects is assigned to (the development of) art. The municipality reintroduced the scheme five years ago and at the same time also appointed a committee, which acts as a curator for the city and provides solicited and unsolicited advice on art in the city’s public spaces, in the broad sense of the word.
The Rijksvastgoedbedrijf (the ‘State Property Office’) has supervised the percentage scheme since 1951, which has resulted in a collection containing more than 5,000 works. Prior to the renovation of buildings in which art is installed, the Rijksvastgoedbedrijf requests an appraisal of the artwork. On behalf of the Rijksvastgoedbedrijf or municipalities, QKunst regularly performs this type of appraisal, mostly on work created some 20 to 40 years ago. During this process, we take the quality of the work into consideration, the original relationship between the art and the architecture, and its rarity value, among other things.
It’s very useful to be involved both in new art projects, such as those for the North-South Line, as well as in appraising art commissions from the past. It provides a good insight into what makes an art commission work in a public space, in a way that people, as Marjan Laaper so eloquently says in the video, can connect to it.
“I think art in public spaces establishes a connection with the visitor. The lives of those people, the things they experience, the fact that they go to work, and the encounters they have all become connected to the work.”
Haven’t seen the video with Marjan Laaper and Véronique Baar on the importance of space for art in the metro station yet? Watch it here!
The QKunst team members who worked on the project art for the North-South Line were Véronique Baar (artistic project supervision), Nanda Janssen and Ella Derksen (selection and consulting), Steven de Haas (consulting and evaluation), Stefan van Weelden and Mijke Rummens (photography).
