Four works of art have been revealed at the Johannes Postkazerne in Havelte. Two of them are right next to the Bailey Bridge at the access road to the barracks, the other two have a place at the entrance of the Darper Schapendrift. The artworks must ensure the visibility of the barracks.
The creations are made of corten steel, in full size and in two -dimensional form. They images four vehicles that are characteristic of the brigade: the Fennek (reconnaissance vehicle), the Leopard (combat tank), the boxer (for commanding and logistics) and the CV90 (infantry combat vehicle).
“The brigade is a steel brigade, an armored and mechanized unit. Then you also have to show what you stand for,” says Colonel and deputy brigad commander Huub Klein Schaarsberg. He was allowed to officially unveil the artworks on his very last working day at the armed forces.
The idea for the artworks was already created in 2020, but the realization took a while. “It’s nice if you work on something for years, feel that you are pulling a dead horse, and that that dead horse will eventually get moving,” says Klein Schaarsberg laughing. “It is nice to reveal it, when completing my work.”
With the steel silhouettes, the brigade also wants to increase its own visibility. “Of course we have a visible brand, with the bridge that is at the entrance, but we want to become even more visible.”
The Colonel started his career in 1988 at the Brigade in Havelte. After working elsewhere for a few years, he returned four years ago. “The tasks that we now stand for, a safe and resilient Netherlands, you have to do that. That is not just the armed forces, that’s not just the brigade and that is not just the lazy in a green suit. That is all of us.”
According to Klein Schaarsberg, support for the Ministry of Defense has grown in recent years. “It is really understood what the work is, what we do and what we stand for. So we certainly succeeded. That is not our ultimate goal. That is that we make sure that we are able to fight that fight and try to prevent the conflict.”
The unveiling of the artworks also marks the farewell of Klein Schaarsberg of the armed forces. Yet that does not mean that he disappears behind the geraniums. “Sitting still is not for me. I see what exactly I will do. I have my motorcycle, a camper, a few dogs and luckily also a woman. So there is still plenty to experience.”