To content

KAPKAR / CDH-2P2 Chatterboxes (Proathoes)

Frank Havermans

About this artwork.

Artist Frank Havermans was inspired for his artwork by the various people who passed by this green spot on the Hoornsedijk along the Noord-Willemskanaal. Haverman wants his residents and passers-by to stop for a moment by his art and open up to the possibility of chance encounters. He called his work Proathoes – a dialect word for the standard Dutch praathuis which literally means “talking house”. Havermans: “People are less and less inclined to stop and engage in small talk nowadays. But I firmly believe that the primal instinct to engage with other humans will never, ever truly disappear. So, I'm trying to reignite this passion for chatter with my little chatterbox talking shop!”

This work of art/annex/meeting place (for let’s be honest, it’s the perfect combination of all three) can be used in a variety of different ways. At the lower level, you can sit on the bench and gaze upwards through the shaft, affording you a beautiful view over the Noord-Willemskanaal behind the dyke. The aesthetic of the “talking house” reflects the robust forms and sturdy materials used in shipping, elements that can also be found in the immediate surroundings. Some say it resembles a wheelhouse of the ships that ply the Noord-Willemskanaal."

Part of route.

Location.

Hoornsedijk (in het park bij de Henri Dunantlaan)

View on the map

Facts & Figures.