Visitor´s centre

This is inside De Hoge Veluwe Nat.Park visitor´s centre, where you can learn everything about the nature, culture, and history of the park. And the tree you see in the photo above..

..is a live tree that grows right through the roof!

The tree dog

On this lovely warm Spring day we made a day trip to the Hoge Veluwe, one of the Dutch national parks. This wood carved dog lay near the visitor center, watching people go by..

Mao suit

 

In the courtyard of the Rijksmuseum Twenthe in Enschede is this sculpture of a suit called ´Legacy Mantle´. It was the kind of uniform coat that Mao Zedong (1893-1976) used to wear in public, and in the West it eventually turned into an icon for the Maoist period and a symbol for Chinese communism in general.

It was made by Sui Jianguo (1956), a contemporary Chinese artist.

Museum entrance

The entrance of the Rijksmuseum Twenthe in Enschede, that was founded through the initiative of the Twenthe textile baron Jan Bernard van Heek, who wanted to have his painting collection housed in a new state museum in Enschede. In 1930 the museum was opened at the Lasondersingel.

Football club mural

En route by train from Zwolle to Enschede I spotted a mural during a short stop at train station´Almelo De Riet´. Apparently it´s on a building that belongs to the local football club DRC 2012.

Zoomed in you can see it a little bit better.

I´m linking to Monday Mural

Theater entrance

So I took the train to the city of Enschede yesterday to visit the Rijksmuseum Twenthe for their exhibition "In the heart of the Renaissance". Then there was time left for a short visit to the city centre, where I happened to pass 'De Kleine Willem' ('The Little William')- which is one of the locations of the Wilmink Theater.

Isn't this a nice scene above the entrance?

In the train

I was travelling by train today.

Rush hour

In Groningen.

At the market

The fresh-product market held at the Vismarkt, one of the larger squares in the city of Groningen.

Herestraat, Groningen

View into the Herestraat, the main shopping street in the city of Groningen. It has been a pedestrian zone since the 1960s, until then trams and trolley buses rode here.

Miffy statue

Another interesting artwork by South African artist Joseph Klibansky is this "Equilibrio Iconico", a statue of Miffy that embodies the idea of balance between career, family life and youth. It belongs to the exhibition "Leap of Faith", now in the Fundatie Museum in Zwolle.

In 2015 -when 60 years of Miffy were celebrated- the statue was part of the Miffy Art Parade, to honour Miffy, her creator and fans of all ages worldwide. If you would like to read more about the project and the other artists that took part click HERE.

Ghost sign

On the corner of the Diezerstraat and Hagelstraat in Zwolle is this ghost sign saying "Kent u onze Haagsche, Saksische en vitamine leverworst?", a Dutch advertisement meaning "Do you know our Hague, Saxon and vitamin liverwurst?". The lit. translation for our 'leverworst' would be 'liver sausage' though according to the web the word 'liverwurst' is used as an anglicization of the German 'Leberwurst'.

Are you still with me? ;)

Here in the Netherlands liverwurst is commonly eaten on sandwiches, or in slices as savoury bites. Apparently the Dutch city of The Hague and Saxony (a federal state of Germany) are known for their own types of liverwurst. And for the word 'vitamin' in the advertisement: liverwurst contains a lot of vitamin A.

The wall advertisement belonged to J.H.G. Alferink, who owned a butchery here from 1940.

I'm linking to Monday Mural.

Kamperstraat, Zwolle

View into the Kamperstraat in Zwolle. The tower in the background is the 75 m high Onze-Lieve-Vrouwetoren ('Our Lady Tower'), known as the Peperbus or 'Pepper Box' because of its shape.

Bringing Spring inside

I bought hyacinths yesterday. Love their strong fragrance once the flowers are in bloom.
Happy Saturday!

Weekend Reflections

Recently I showed you a few items from the exhibition "Leap of Faith" with works by South African contemporary artist Joseph Klibansky, currently in the Fundatie Museum in Zwolle. This is another eye-catching item.

"Klibansky's exhibition revolves around our current concept of 'faith', which is no longer experienced strictly from a religious perspective, but felt more as a general sentiment of hope for mankind and the planet's future. This idea is clearly expressed in the larger than life bronze sculpture that gave the exhibition its title. It depicts an astronaut carrying a heavy golden cross, a powerful amalgam of modern and old symbols." (From the museum website)

I'm linking to Weekend Reflections.

Diezerstraat

View into the Diezerstraat, the main shopping street in Zwolle.

Jewellery shop sign

Above the entrance of Duijvestein Juweliers (Duijvestein Jewellery) in the Diezerstraat in Zwolle hangs a pretty clock, or large pocket-watch. Isn't it nice with it's golden details..

The main purpose of a sign is to attract attention, and I think it does just that. For me anyway ;)

I'm linking to signs, signs.

Spring weather

We are having lovely Spring weather with temperatures around 13°C (55°F) during the day. It's nice to see the sun again!

These photos were taken last Sunday in the Schapenpark nature area, near the villages of Exloo and Odoorn.

I'm linking to All Seasons.

Wall advertising

For dozens of years there was an empty frame on a wall along the Papenstraat in Zwolle. Then, on request of the owner of the building, the inside of the frame was examined and old text was discovered underneath several layers of paint. After 150 hours of carefully scraping away paint, 5 different historical wall advertisements were found dating from the period 1890-1955: from a shoemaker, two from a bicycle dealer, and two from a furniture maker.

Two sheets of paper underneath the frame explain what can be seen here. Nice fact is that the cleaning project was named "Project Toverbal" ("The Gobstopper Project"), as -like the candy reveals different colours- each layer dissolves a different item.
For a few more photos from the project go to their website HERE.

I'm linking to Monday Mural.

Pelserbrugje

This is the "Pelserbrugje", from which yesterday´s photo was taken. The Pelserbrugje (Little Pelser Bridge) is a drawbridge for pedestrians and cyclists across the Thorbecke Canal in Zwolle.

The bridge was built in 1974 and was named after the "pelsers" ("pels" is Dutch for fur, a "pelser" is an old Dutch word for someone who processes fur) who worked in this area in the 15th century.

Weekend Reflection

View across the Thorbecke Canal in the city centre of Zwolle.

I'm linking to Weekend Reflections.

Nobody ever..

Following up on yesterday´s post this is another piece by Joseph Klibansky; a wall sculpture with a pink neon text "Nobody ever made me fall in love like this".

"Klibansky's work reflects the world of today, or rather: tomorrow's world. Inspired by technology, fashion, design, architecture, travel and music his work gives shape to a world that balances utopia with nightmare" (from the exhibition "Leap of Faith" in Museum De Fundatie, Zwolle)

Bare Hug

A really wonderful exhibition currently in the Fundatie Museum in Zwolle is "Leap of Faith" with works by Joseph Klibansky (1984). This South African contemporary artist was born in South Africa and currently lives and works in Amsterdam. The exhibition shows 3 dimensional as well as 2 dimensional pieces, and I must say that especially his polished bronze sculptures were most charming!

This sculpture is named `Bare Hug` (spelled correctly ;). Leap of Faith in the Fundatie is his first solo exhibition in a Dutch museum. Check out his website HERE.

Last breath

The Korte Ademhalingssteeg ("Short Alley of Breaths") connects the Great Church Square with the Central Square in Zwolle. The origin of this name is rather gruesome; it refers to the days in history in which criminals were lead to the scaffold at the central square. In this alley they literally drew their last breaths before being executed.

I'm linking to signs, signs.

The busker and his dog

..at their usual spot in front of the optician at the market square.

Monday mural

Two murals in the Papenstraat in Zwolle, near the art studio/gallery of Dutch painter Daniel Douglas.

I'm linking to Monday Mural.

Upside down

Reflection in a large silver-coloured ball placed near the entrance of Waanders in de Broeren bookshop in Zwolle. I chose to turn the photo upside down here so I am standing on my feet..  ;)

Linking to Weekend Reflections.

City wall remains

In yesterday's post I mentioned the former city walls of Zwolle; unfortunately very little is left of them. Excavations in 2004 uncovered some parts that originally date from the 13th and 14th century, and obviously these are considered to have a high archaeologist value. On this photo you can see the opening to go inside, but I'm not sure if it is ever open to the public.

Vispoortbrug Zwolle

The Zwolle city canal outside the former city walls, and the Vispoortbrug (Fish Gate Bridge).

Waterfall

Searching through my photo archives I found these from the `From Turner to Apple´-exhibition in the Fundatie Museum in Zwolle, back in 2015. The exhibition showed a variety of art works with paintings from William Turner, Piet Mondriaan, Karel Appel and many more. Besides paintings a number of sculptures were shown, like  'Waterfall', a 3D printed sculpture by contemporary artist Eyal Gever (Haifa 1970).

"Turner was fascinated by the force of ocean storms. Eyal Gever too, is attracted by the overwhelming power of the sea. Waterfall is his physical translation of water. This printed sculpture looks like Turner's solidified paint. The medium with which they work could not be more different, but Turner and Gever share their vision on beauty and the sublime". (from the text at the sculpture)