Tag: green

Marinus Boezem – The Green Cathedral

“At its time of completion in 1996, De Groene Kathedraal consists of almost mature Italian poplars, chosen for their lean and long silhouette, planted on a raised plateau. The outer row forms the green, transparent and movable exterior wall of a cathedral. The trees of the second row are on the places of the columns of that cathedral. As a starting point for his cathedral, Boezem took the floor plan of Notre Dame de Reims (1211-90). In a stone on the ground near the entrance, the plan of the Cathedral of Reims is engraved and within the green walls are placed stones that together form a geometric pattern that reflects the cross ribs on the ground.
The Green Cathedralwas planted in 1987 to be completed in 1996. Then the idea arose to plant a beech hedge next to it as a permanent negative form. Because the 178 poplars have a limited lifespan of about 30 years. When the poplars reach their maximum height around 2006, they equal the height of Reims Cathedral and then slowly die. The expected death date is around 2017.Edna van Duyn calls De Groene Kathedraal ‘a sculpture of natural elements’ and ‘a map and a wind sculpture at the same time’. Apart from the construction of the floor plan and the cross rib pattern, the construction consists of the growth of the poplars. The movement of the treetops and the rustling of the leaves are brought about by the wind. The real sky replaces the symbolic sky as depicted on the ceiling of many medieval churches. Entering the Green Cathedral the visitor experiences the space and the ‘unnatural’ of nature. Van Duyn considers the Green Cathedralas a built idea, an intangible architecture that refers to other times, different tempos. After all, with nature as material, Boezem also introduces time. He relates the time and pace of nature to the history of art. The Green Cathedral is a growth project made to disappear, to become a memory. At the same time, the cathedral form grows in negative: the open lawn enclosed by the beech hedge in the shape of the plan of the Reims Cathedral. No rustling leaves in this hedge, which forms a massive wall. In the future, this natural fence will indicate an absence, namely that of De Groene Kathedraal”

https://www.syavantvlie.nl/crossovers/vervolg/nederlandse-invulling#prettyPhoto