Peter Struycken Untitled (1993)

After dusk, the artwork created by Peter Struycken in the colonnade beneath the Nieuwe Instituut (the former NAi) is unmissable. A different color palette appears every ten minutes on the 170-meter-long series of concrete pillars. A computer program ensures that the red, green, and blue lights display a constantly changing combination of primary and mixed colors. This lighting gives the passage a theatrical quality, making passersby in the evening appear as moving participants in the work. Peter Struycken was one of the first artists in the Netherlands to allow the computer to play a significant role in his creative process; he began doing so as early as 1969. He usually works with abstract patterns, structures, or installations. Light and color play a major role in this. He was one of the first artists to make large-scale contributions to buildings and the design of public spaces. The history of his commissions executed in Rotterdam proves that even robust works are vulnerable. Of the five Struyckens, three have already disappeared or are in severe disrepair. Vandalism, renovation, and changes in the function of a building or environment take their toll. The illuminated columns of the architecture palace have become such an iconic eye-catcher that the future of this 'light sculpture' seems guaranteed for the time being. For more information: Sculpture International Rotterdam.