Signs not enough: crush barriers must prevent even more people from falling into water artwork | Bizarre

The crush barriers were placed around the water artwork on Euclideslaan on Tuesday, according to a municipal spokesman. In this way, Utrecht hopes to prevent even more people from going under in the cistern.

Last week, no fewer than three people fell into the water. Office workers – the pond is located on a business park – had to lift the drowning people out of the water. Turns out it wasn’t the first time. The Belgian Lilith Smidts (28), for example, previously thought that the artwork was a road. She had an appointment across the street and thought she’d cross the street quickly. The shock caused her to have an epileptic fit in the icy water. Fortunately, other unfortunate fallers only escaped with a wet suit.

The culprit is the large duckweed fern, a water plant that floats on the surface of the water and expands explosively, sometimes creating an optical illusion. In the summer the plant looks like grass and in the winter it turns red, so that the water can look more like a gravel track.

The municipality has now had the plants sucked up from the water of the artwork, but according to plant expert Stef van Walsum of plant expertise center Floron, they will probably return. “It’s a kind of weed. If the municipality wants to prevent people from falling in, the plants must always be removed. There is a good chance that the water will be closed again this summer.”

Last week, Utrecht already placed a warning sign and twelve more are in the making. In addition, the municipality is investigating the possibility of installing a fountain or two, so that people can clearly see that it is water.

Ridiculous, according to Karin Daan, the maker of the work of art ‘The Sunken Ship’. She said last weekend that she objected to the arsenal of warning signs. “It is ridiculous to put thirteen plates in such a beautiful water feature. Then break the whole thing off. You make the work so completely ridiculous,” said the Dutch. “People should just look out of their heads,” she says.

The municipality has since been in contact with the artist. “We have an appointment with her in the short term.” Until another solution is found, the crush barriers that were placed on Tuesday will remain in place and the other signs will not be placed yet, according to the municipality spokesperson.