Makan

Many people think that the space underneath a bridge is at the most for vagrants: too dark, noisy and windy. But it is a splendid part of the landscape and wrongly overlooked. There the metropolitan structures meet the natural streaming of the river and fail to touch each other. It is a landscape in which own rules apply. The spot radiates freedom. There is room for everyone irrespective of where you come from.

My fascination inspired me to realise a temporary accommodation under the bridge: a construction as light as a fishing net or a spider's web. By the beauty of this temporary form I wanted to invite visitors to enjoy this very special place.

Construction of the installation

This photograph I took very late in the evening when the installation was almost completed. At that moment I decided to stay overnight in Fuik. It was a great experience!

Early that Saturday morning I had the most splendid view over the river. The Waal was veiled in mist, from time to time a large ship came by. Furthermore there was the shit of pigeons and jackdaws living in colonies above my head. During the night a heavy shower came down. I survived the pouring rain, but my sleeping bag was wet through.

Fuik hung very stable even with powerful wind, only by bus and lorry traffic above my head the installation trembled a bit. Fuik is a pilot project: the experiences I gained will be used next year (2008). Then I'm going to build a pavilion on the same spot where people can come for bed and breakfast. It will be a large and comfortable accommodation for guests who want to live under the bridge for a short period.