Makan

For years the waste from the Noordoostpolder Flevoland and the tip of Overijssel were dumped at the ‘Friese Pad’ landfill. The official launch to cover the landfill area took place in 2007. In early January 2009, the Art Comission (A. Smit, director AFP; H. Bloem, General Manager of Eck-funds A; F.E. Roefs, Municipial Coordinator of Art and Culture/Director of Eck-funds) chose Makan as one of the three artists to create a design for an exemplary memorial for the former landfill.

The symbol of the ‘Friese Pad’, and the symbol of wealth is ‘The ear of corn’. ‘The ear of corn’ belongs to the polder because the polder provides us with food.‘The ear of corn’ belongs to the ‘Friese Pad’ as a symbol of the last stage of our consumption patterns. The artwork stresses the welath of products available in our society today. We are well off, and can allow ourselves massive amounts of waste.

The seeds of corn grow in areas where the soil is rich in nutrients. Placing ‘The ear of corn’ on top of the landfill is a fitting symbol. Even so, we have to face certain truths of the moment. Inside the landfill are dangerous materials that need to be enclosed with leak detection equipment. Therefore, it has been decided to place ‘The ear of corn’ on the waterfront near the first pond of the golf course.

The foot of the statue can swing 360 degrees along with the wind. The roots and stems, as well as the ear of the corn are inmobile. The blades of ‘The ear of corn’ are made out of fibreglass with a rust-coloured coating. The fibreglass blades also sway with the wind. Through this movement, the statue resembles real corn, and the landscape becomes palpable as the strength of the wind can be read from the movement of the statue.

The statue is 28 metres high and built out of weathering steel. The color and material of ‘The ear of corn’ fit in with the theme of wealth and power. Corn in the fields sway along with the wind. On the polder, the wind is one of the most important abiotic components. The statue also sways with the wind.