Untitled (crow in windowsill -kraai in vensterbank)

About this artwork.

The crow in the windowsill of one of the aldermen's rooms in the town hall has a special history.

On the occasion of the opening of the Waagstraat complex, CBK Groningen organised the exhibition “Dwalen door de Waagstraat” in 1996. In this exhibition, six Groningen artists were invited to respond to the space and atmosphere of the architecture of the Waagstraat complex at locations of their own choosing. 

Gert E. Sennema depicted his critical view of the Waagstraat complex by making three wooden crows. These birds symbolise Sennema's sense of unease about the Waagstraat complex: “Crows regularly appear as props in historical settings of castles, churches, graveyards or ruins. Within this setting, their presence is synonymous with impending or present doom”, says the artist.

One of the three crows is still present. It sits on the gable apex of the complex, like an ominous harbinger. The second crow, which was placed on the copper drainpipe (second-floor patio of the residential complex), has now been removed. The third crow, which was sitting on the windowsill of the News Café, was also taken away by the artist because the animal unsettled a staff member: it gave him nightmares. 

At the request of the then alderman René Paas, Sennema made a fourth crow, meant to scare pigeons. The bird sits with spread wings on the second floor of the town hall, in front of the window where Paas had his office at the time."

Facts & Figures.

• Design
  Gert Sennema

• District
  Centrum

• Year of creation
  1997

• Art type
  Art in / on a building

• Material
  Burnt apple wood

• Dimensions
  h 0,35 x b 0,50 m