Bus stops

About this artwork.

A news ticker hangs between two stainless steel pillars. It does not provide the news, nor information about the departure times of the city buses that passed here until July 2023. The lyrics – written by writer Jacques Brooijmans – are about travel, buses, heart and lungs and are often poetic or philosophical in nature: “A lot of things are bought out of reluctance, how soon in the bus the regrets begin.” The bus stop in the Oosterstraat is crowned by a transparent plastic heart, illuminated with red neon. The work in the Gelkingestraat, which runs parallel to the Oosterstraat, has green illuminated lungs. The objects are permanently illuminated and the text runs continuously.

The bodies refer to the center and periphery of the city. When entering the city by bus you passed the red heart in the Oosterstraat, a symbol for the center and the dynamic activity around it. When you left the city, you went via the Gelkingestraat, past the green lungs - referring to the suburbs - to the peace and space.

About the assignment.

In the 1990s, the municipality of Groningen worked on the 'Binnenstad Better' project, with the main goals of strengthening the local economy, better accessibility of the center and improving the living environment. The city center had to become more attractive, especially for pedestrians and cyclists. To this end, the car-free area was expanded, the shopping and walking area was enlarged and the public space was redesigned. Accessibility by public transport was also improved.

Oosterstraat and Gelkingestraat were part of the new city bus route. To optimize accessibility, additional bus stops were added here. Because the Municipality wanted to make something special of the entry and exit points in the context of 'Binnenstad Better', CBK Groningen formulated an art commission. The artwork could comment on the place or situation; After all, the bus stop is a place of travel, waiting, contemplation and sometimes unexpected eye contact with fellow travelers... One condition was that the stop would be clearly recognizable and the sidewalks were kept clear as much as possible because of the many passers-by. Furthermore, the assignment explicitly stated that the demand was for visual art and not for industrial design. The art committee included representatives on behalf of the municipality and on behalf of the business association.

Facts & Figures.

• Design
  Loes Heebink
  Shlomo Schwarzberg

• District
  Centrum

• Year of creation
  1996

• Art type
  Design, Light artwork

• Material
  Stainless steel, Lexan, Neon light

• Dimensions
  h 4,20 x b 1,00 x d 0,40 m