Selwerd Is

About this artwork.

All kinds of figures have been cut out of curved Corten steel: they dance together, carry the groceries, or are playing outside on the swing. The flats and houses of Selwerd can be recognized in their many geometric shapes. The cutouts create a shadow play in sunlight.

The sculpture Selwerd Is is located between student flat De Dragant and neighbourhood restaurant De Duindoorn. The specific location of the work is of great importance to artist Layla May Arthur. De Duindoorn is a meeting place for people from the neighbourhood and the many students who live in Selwerd, and a work at this location should reflect that idea of community, according to Arthur. All details in the work are therefore based on conversations she has with people from the neighbourhood about their ideas about Selwerd and community. This way people can recognize their own stories in the work.

Arthur is a paper artist, who mainly creates highly detailed paper installations. In 2022 she won the open call for this project, which is aimed at alumni of Minerva Academy. To be able to laser her design from the Corten steel as precisely and detailed as possible, she worked with metalworking company Mannen van Staal.

About the assignment.

An open call was issued in 2022 for a new work of art at student flat De Dragant in Selwerd. Voting was possible online and in the De Dragant neighbourhood restaurant. A design by Daan de Boer and Arthur's design both received many votes; a professional jury ultimately chose Arthur's work.


Read also: Paper artist Layla May Arthur made steel artwork 'Selwerd Is': ‘technology pushed to the limit’

Facts & Figures.

• Design
  Layla May Arthur

• District
  Selwerd

• Year of creation
  2023

• Art type
  Freestanding sculpture

• Material
  Cortenstaal

• Dimensions
  h 2 x b 7 m