DUTCH
ICONS OF THE MODERN ERA
2005
Proposal sketch
Commissioned by the Municipality of Beverwijk
Location: Nieuwbouw Broekpolder
Commission proposal: Jaap de Jonge
The 80, cast-resin wall anchors will be attached to the centre’s
façades. Their exact position is yet to be determined. The basic
form remains the same so that an engraved image will be fixed to the site
of the ‘anchoring’. A total of 80 different images will be
used. Pairs of anchors will be fastened to the façade with bolts.
The images are taken from both our current visual culture and that of
the recent past.
The democratic way in which these symbols are used in both a mixed and
in a chronological order, puts the worlds behind these symbols into perspective.
The question is: when does the ‘modern era’ begin? The literal
meaning of ‘modern’ is: ‘belonging to the more recent
era’. For that reason, you could also describe the subject of the
Citadel as being modern rather than historicised.
Of course, there are major differences when you compare the structure
of the Citadel to the construction methods of the 17th and 18th centuries.
These cities and streets were developed in an organic way without the
assistance of large-scale planning and project developers.
Only the external forms have been adopted for the Citadel, and the building
method hardly differs from the concrete skeleton of a house with a through
lounge.
A form of façade construction has been applied to the Citadel so
that the use of wall anchors is no longer necessary, because its concrete
structure is self-supporting.
In previous eras, the function of wall anchors was to anchor the wooden
floors to the stone construction. Along with this function, attention
was also devoted to the anchors’ decorative aspect. However, these
elements, which are vital to the Citadel’s image, have been left
out despite the fact that they are an essential component!
In terms of construction, the anchor has lost its function but remains
relevant as a decorative element. Its new function could be as an anchor
to the modern era.
examples of wall anchors
