MEETING POINT FOR NEW KEY PROJECT STATIONS
At the end of the 19th century one sees an increase in the scale and a more intensive use of the visual arts as connected with buildings. Amsterdam’s Central Station, designed by P.J.H Cuypers, was among the first 19th century Dutch secular buildings to have a lot of decorative sculpture. This tradition continued on into the 20th century, as art was integrated into the architecture of various stations.
In 2005 a limited international competition for design proposals for the a new meeting point in a number of train stations was set up. A preference was expressed for a modular form that would allow the artwork to be adapted to the architecture of the different stations (Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Breda, Utrecht, Den Haag and Arnhem), without losing sight of the original purpose of the meeting point.
John Körmelings Sunny Cloud is characterised by its lightness and playful quality. In the often functional and industrially design station halls, the traveller notices this strange object; a cloud which floats in space, as it were, and gives off a soft, white, blinking light. The traveller can stand under it, bathing in the light, and wait prior to departure, or to be picked up. Over him (or her) hangs a glittering ‘galaxy’ which makes the wait more pleasant.
In September 2011, a pilot version of the design will be hung in Amsterdam Central Station. The definitive meeting points will be placed by the time the New Key Project stations are delivered.
