Floride, where art and nature meet

Carla Bianpoen, Contributor, Amsterdam

On April 9, the International Horticultural Exhibition Floriade 2002 opened under the motto "Feel the Art of Nature". Thousands of visitors have since roamed the vast 65-hectare terrain, which was devised by Dutch garden architect Nick Roozen. Whether consciously or not, they must have felt the impact of the intertwining art and nature.

To experience both, one need only climb Big Spotters Hill, which Roozen devised on the dimensions of an Egyptian pyramid.

Approaching the top of the 40-meter-high structure, either by ascending the steps or by cybercab, the very sense of intertwining nature and art becomes tangible, similar to when the sky and earth meet on the far horizon.

The latter is marked by a work of art by Dutch artist Auke de Vries, whose sculpture looks like a mobile by Alexander Calder. In between four 17-meter-high columns on the corners of a square plateau is a vellum of orange red canvas, under which a kind of fishing rod construction holds a yellow sort of Chinese hat that moves through space by the rhythm of the wind.

Another spectacular sight is The Bridge of Life set on a viaduct forming the junction between parts of the hill and the lake. With a capricious shape that reminds one of the whims of life, the 60-meter-long and four-meter-high Bridge consists of images depicting the various stages in human life.

Walking the bridge is like going through chaos, but from a distance the capricious flow of panels likens this rock to the incongruity of modern times. For the Star Uitzendbureau, a job- mediating company that commissioned Frank Gude and Wim Langendijk to make this work, it is a metaphor for its role in the labor market.

Less spectacular, but certainly not less impressive is De Laatste Tuin (the Last Garden), a cemetery that links the afterlife to real life in the past, with tombstones that are sculptures depicting features, hobbies and dreams of the deceased. This was a joint project by garden architect Ada Wille and company Donker bv.

Other works of art include Listening Trees, in which a number of oaks have ears on their trunks. In fact, the ears are made of wax by Jacquelijne Constant, who believes that people often talk to trees if they have no one else to talk to.

Art is also in Emotie Tuinen, which comprises gardens specially devised by the Organization for the Promotion of Horticulture to address the needs of people for reflection and recuperation.

Jack Prins made four-meter-high light-steel constructions of lines and forms. The sculptor Maarieke van Baarle, made 1.5-meter-high columns, organic forms that reflect the continuous change and movement marking life itself. Ever seen trees chained to iron balls? Well that's how Cees Elffert executed his commission by Plant Publicity Holland.

Walking through this southern section of the park, one might wonder at the acrylic plates painted with colored flowers, hung in between the trees. The clue here is to see the changing effect of the moving sunlight. It was made by Ella Steenmeijer, a graduate of plastic arts.

How water, greenery and pavement form an organic unity with art is shown in a 175-square-meter garden that Tuin Totaal shaped and articulated with stainless steel sculptures by Ronald Anthonie Westerhuis.

The Source by sculptor Ton Kalle, is a composition of stone lumps arranged to form a calyx from where the water source spreads out its water through waterfalls. This work of art is said to symbolize the source of life and stands right at the entry of the area. It has a bright yellow roof, the largest solar array of its kind in the world.

There is also a promenade with a long row of copies of Michelangelo's David and Antonio Casanova's Venus Italica, with the Venuses looking at visitors' faces when entering, and the Davids when leaving. A tiny piece of pinkish chewing-gum stuck on David's "you-know-what" could make it contemporary art for some, but might just be a witty statement.

Evidently, Floriade has tried to include all forms of linkages between nature and art. While some critics have the impression that not enough has been done, the above mentioned works of art testify to its serious attempt.

The Floriade Park is situated in Vijfhuizen, close to Schiphol, Amsterdam's international airport. It is open until Oct. 20.

It is recommended to consult a map of the park before starting your tour, because it is divided into three parts: Bij het Dak (Near the Roof), Naast de Berg (By the Hill) and Aan het Meer (On the Lake).