Berend Hendriks & Wim Korvinus, De Kus / Zonder Titel (The Kiss / Untitled, 1984)

The Manifestatieveld in Stedenwijk in Almere-Stad houses the artworks by Berend Hendriks and Wim Korivnus that often are seen as one artwork because of their location. The relation between land and water, a recurring theme in Flevoland, also plays a part in these works. With these artworks, the theme refers more to the specific location besides the water than the history of Flevoland. Wim Korvinus wanted to give the piece of land on which his artwork is located a reason to become part of the water. So he placed it at the outskirts of the plot. The encounter between land and water in the sculpture by Berend Hendriks is best seen when the right weather conditions occur and a rainbow is created.

School of Arnhem
As a teacher of monumental design at the art academie in Arnhem in the sixties, Berend Hendriks was one of the founders of surroundings design. This theory explores the integration of art and the built-up area. This movement is called the ‘Arnhemse school’. Wim Korvinus was also formed by these ideas when he was a student at the academy in Arnhem. With his masterplan, Hendriks thoroughly analyzed the urban development context of Almere in which visual arts could be placed. He initiated the commissioning policy of Almere. In line with the principles of surroundings design, it was important for both artists that the location on the Manifestatieveld could be ‘experienced as a real place, site, resting point’ where benches would invite visitors to stay for a while.

Perspective
The scale and form of the objects are defined by the location as it was in 1984, and the direction of view with which they were met. The design of Korvinus’ sculpture at the Elandweg outside of Dronten shares this perception of the environment: in such kind of widespread landscape, your eyes are always drawn towards the perspective. Imagine you could see a row of lampposts along such a distance, you would see the horizon shrink. I wanted to speed such perspective to create an extra horizon while maintaining the original one”. The cracked, crooked forms suggest the influence of wind, an element which - like water - could not be ignored by Korvinus when creating a ‘visual statement’ in Flevoland. The wind also plays a role at the Manifestatieveld in Almere: when it blows the object of Korvinus produces a tingling sound.

Annick Kleizen

Berend Hendriks 1918-1997, Apeldoorn
De kus (The Kiss, 1984)
Glass, steel, 4 m high
Location Almere Stad, Stedenwijk, Manifestatieveld
Collection: De Collectie Almere / Museum De Paviljoens

Wim Korvinus, 1948, Beesterzwaag
Zonder titel (Untitled, 1984)
Steel, 5 m hoog
Location Almere Stad, Stedenwijk, Manifestatieveld
Collection: De Collectie Almere / Museum De Paviljoens

Zonder titel (Untitled, 1985)
Wood, steel, 8,50 x 6,50 x 4,50 m; floor 20 x 20 m
Location Oostelijk Flevoland, Elandweg, Minderhoudhoeve
Collection: Collectie Rijksgebouwendienst

1 thanks to RIJP
2 thanks to RIJP
3 Thanks to Rijksgebouwendienst
4 The form can raise different associations and Korvinus already gives different nicknames for the work during his motivation. Names would be: fishing-rod, heron, reed.
5 Wim Korvinus, Motivation, unpublished (archives Museum De Paviljoens)
6 Wim Korvinus, in: Karin van Munster, Beelden in de berm: vijf en tachtig kunstobjecten vanuit de auto, Den Haag 2003, p. 11

© Museum De Paviljoens