Saskia Olde Wolbers’s video projection at Amsterdam Central Station shows a mysterious bird-like creature that seems to be slowly awakening. As the images flow into one another we see the creature somewhat slowly and mechanically spread its wings, while it moves its bird’s head toward the wide open sky.

For this video Olde Wolbers experimented with the ‘shape memory’ metal nitinol, an alloy of equal parts of nickel and titanium. This alloy has the peculiar mechanical ability of undergoing a deformation of up to 30%, and then automatically recovering its original shape upon heating. Because of this regenerative capacity this alloy is frequently used in the world of animatronics.
The title ‘Pareidolia Automaton 01’ refers to the technique of the robot bird, which moves weightlessly under water, as if it were a machine operating autonomously. Referring to historic logos in which birds symbolize freedom, exoticism and travel to distant places, Olde Wolbers pays tribute to the departed glory of the first train voyage. Furthermore, with this work the artist provides a new insignia for the central hall: ‘Built as an icon, a replica of nature and a homage to the dream of the ultimate escape: flight.’

Pareidolia Automaton 01 can be seen  in the sign house at track 13-14 of Amsterdam Central Station.

Not only have trains regularly been allocated roles in films, but the train was also used as vehicle for making moving shots. Moreover, there is an analogy between seeing a film and travelling by train: both offer the seated spectator a look at the world. These relations between the railway and film are central to the three-screen video installation Locomotive.

The project reveals how film images of trains and train travel are among the most popular subjects in film history. Classic train scenes are immortalized in feature films like Shanghai Express (1932), The Ghost Train (1941), Strangers on a Train (1951), From Russia with Love (1963) and in more recent films like Derailed (2005).
Assisted by two researchers, Christoph Girardet and Matthias Müller selected images from more than 500 feature films and edited them into a new work, shown on three screens. The film fragments are grouped by means of the pulse of the onrushing train and the stroboscopic effect created by the images of landscapes and travellers as they slip past. The editing suggests that travellers from different eras are still engaged in a shared journey. The film reflects our experience of travel: we look at the landscape, sink back in our thoughts, and let time go by for the duration of the train ride.

Locomotive can be seen in the middle tunnel of the Cuypers hal, in the east wing of Amsterdam Central Station.