Protterdûns Boppe de Greiden Fryslân
Between Bolsward and Wommels in the Netherlands, the Province of Fryslân is constructing three flyovers at the N359. At these flyovers, traffic will soon pass under the N359.
There will be a separate bike path for cyclists. For these three overpasses budget has been reserved for an art commission.
Artist Johannes Bosgra was selected along with two other artists to present his concept. Bosgra’s inspiration, the “Murmurations” photo series, came about during the pandemic.
Close to his own home, he saw large flocks of starlings forming abstract landscapes in the sky in perfect choreography. These swarms formed black pen drawings that stood out like a sublime musical rhythm against the deep blue sky of the Frisian nature reserve Bûtenfjild/De Houtwiel.
Bosgra’s starting point was completely covering the overpass walls with prints of the “protterdûns” (starling dance). That you have the idea of driving through the swarm. The photos were taken with a medium format camera in very high resolution, making the individual starlings clearly distinguishable.
The abstract black shapes, against an even background of Yves Klein blue, lend themselves perfectly to creating large-format wall coverings.
M2uur bv advised Bosgra on the possibilities in materialization, prices, and mounting methods. In addition, M2uur bv created beautiful animations and renderings to support his presentation.
Rendering: M2uur bv – Kevin Bruin
The Protterdûns is a good example of how art and infrastructure can reinforce each other, enriching the public space.