“When you work in public space you often discover unintended motives, a hidden agenda, inarticulate needs – your work can never be seen in isolation from the problems present there”. From: A work in public space, John Blake in conversation with Lieven de Cauter (CBK Rotterdam, 2000)
In 1994, the 'Witte de Withstraat' tram stop on what was then line 5 was discontinued. The stop, which is not too far from the stops on Eendrachtsplein, was considered superfluous by the RET. Due to protests from museums and shopkeepers in the area, the stop was reopened in 1995 at the initiative of Manuel Kneepkens of the Stadspartij. After all, it lies on the cultural axis between the Witte de Withstraat and the Museum Park. This special stop should be given a face of its own with a work of art. Artist John Blake placed a second stop opposite the existing tram stop. This looked suspiciously like a regular stop, but was stark white and stripped of all advertising, timetables and maps. Just the name Witte de Withstraat art stop is listed above a large area. The Kstop functions well today and has been put into use by the RET, like a 'real' stop. On the other side of the Westersingel, on a concrete plateau in the slope (a sewer bunker), Blake placed a pedestal with a neck on top. This Neck is an enlargement of a display used to display jewelery in the window of jewelery stores. At first glance, the link between the white is stripped Art stop and the Neck not immediately laid, but if you look longer you will see that the Neck – just like snow white- is 'faced' to the tram stop. This makes the connection between the two elements visible. Both elements can be seen as museumized specimens, fitting in the Museum Quarter of Rotterdam.
John Blake's farewell is on April 25, 2017 at 15.00 p.m. Address: Crematorium Zuiderhof, Kolhornseweg 13 in Hilversum. Afterwards, the family can drink a glass in memory of John.