It occupies about half the Grote Kerk of Alkmaar, and you can – or should – sit in it to take it all in. Nynke Koster’s artwork ‘Common Ground’ is made of wood, topped with recycled foam from mattresses and a rubber top layer, and is full of stories and objects from Alkmaar. This summer it can be found in the church.
You can sit comfortably with up to fifty people on the 15 by 5 meter artwork Common Ground – common base. But, with your shoes off. It has the mirrored shape of the vault of the Grote Kerk and various Alkmaar elements have been incorporated.
But artist Nynke Koster also added other cultures that can be found in the city. Turkish, Moroccan and Ukrainian objects can also be found, she says in front of the media partner’s camera Alkmaar Central†
Text continues below video
Nynke Koster has a fascination for soft works of art and has previously made works with rubber casts in Scheveningen, Delft and even Tokyo. The creation for the Grote Kerk is her largest to date and was specially made for the summer exhibition ‘Nieuw Licht’.
Church inspired
“Since last year, we open an exhibition of contemporary visual art every year at the beginning of the summer holidays,” explains director Peter Blaauboer. “We then ask an artist to create a work inspired by the Grote Kerk.”
Visitors praise Nynke’s Common Ground. “Very beautiful, it feels wonderful. The way it is constructed is beautiful and also what can be seen in it,” says a woman. Another: “It was wonderful. Nice and soft. Fantastic, I really felt at home there.”
Common Ground can be visited until September 4.