Port / Starboard (2002) Joe Cillen

photo Max Dereta
About the artwork

This green and red light beacon is part of the project Motor ship Noordereiland by artist Joe Cillen. Two gigantic sidelights have been placed on the roof of a building at the bottom of the Willemsbrug. The red light symbolizes port side, the green light represents the starboard side of the island, which Cillen sees as a large ship. The lights are each five meters long, 2,5 meters wide and two meters high. Cillen consistently speaks of it Motor ship Noordereiland. “With the residents as crew, this is the largest ship in the world. And on large ships you just hear huge sidelights. ” Alderman for Culture Stefan Hulman and director Pieter Struijs of the Port Authority unveiled the work on 20 December 2002.

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About the artist

Joe Cillen (Paal, 1945) is a former skipper and conceptual artist, who expresses himself through both installations and painting. He has been working on the 'MS Noordereiland' plan since around 2000, in which he sees the Noordereiland as a large motor vessel.

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