Happy Birthday, Vondelpark!

This year het Vondelpark, one of Amsterdam’s best known parks, celebrates its 150th birthday. To mark the occasion, school children were asked to create a sculpture that was inspired by the park. The children followed workshops with professional sculptors and then came up with their own ideas in miniature. Their mock-ups were displayed in het Vondelpark beginning of this year and passers-by could vote for their favourite. I was torn between the girl doing a handstand and the magpie with its chicks in a fast-food container. The pure joyfulness of the handstand girl appealed to me, but I also really loved the way the magpies exploited our throwaway culture; showing the redemptive power of nature. This outpouring of creativity was made possible by ArtZuid. If you have an Iphone you can download the exhibition app from their page or order a souvenir catalogue.

Both of my favourite sculptures were amongst the 20 selected and this morning I photographed the results. Not all the sculptures are shown below, but it’s a general taster, and hopefully you’ll go and have a look yourself! The exhibition runs till 24th August 2014. Try and go on a weekday to avoid the crowds. After releasing your inner child, have a bite to eat at the tranquil and affordable new age centre, de Roos, near the PC Hoofdstraat entrance.