Page 78 - Damen Shipyards Group

78 CULTURAL HERRITAGE | THE ART OF SHIPBUILDING
DECKS AWASH – MONTAGUE DAWSON
Montague Dawson was a famous, British
maritime artist. The example shown here is
hung on the wall of Mr Damen’s office.
“We wanted to give something to the new building when it opened,”
“He liked this painting because it’s so
realistic. Look at the movement of the waves
– I almost get seasick from it!”
The painting shows a barque in rough seas
taking water on deck.
“Life was like that aboard such a ship. It was
hard. It was rough. Dawson was really able
to capture the moment.”
“When we commissioned her, Vera was asked her to do something that
FLOWERS – ZHUANG HONG YI
In the office of Kommer Damen’s secretary, Eliza Erkelens,
hang two pieces from Chinese artist Zhuang Hong Yi’s
Flower series – Royal Blue and Sunrise.
Eliza explains, “The artist uses special materials, forms
and colours to combine traditional Chinese influence
with characteristics of western impressionism. He’s based
in the Netherlands actually, but returns to his studio in
Beijing a few times each year for inspiration.”
Eliza is very happy with the colourful images that adorn
her office walls. “The pictures are very bright and
cheerful – many people comment on them when they
come into the room. I was really happy when they were
placed here.”
INDIË WAS ONS PARADIJS – ANNELIES DAMEN
This series of photographic images – which have been
displayed throughout the Netherlands – were created by
a member of the Damen family – Annelies Damen. The
pictures are a tribute to Mrs Damen’s mother and can
be found adorning the walls of Damen’s museum and
archives.
Following Indonesian independence in 1949, many Dutch
people were forced to leave the islands over the next
two decades – including Mrs Damen’s family.
Each image, with names such as Mist, Joy, Farewell and
Blossom show scenes from Indonesia, such as flowers,
paddy fields and landscapes. In each of the images, in a
watermark-like fashion, Mrs Damen’s mother can be seen.
The final image in the series shows the sea. “This is the
sea they had to cross to come to the Netherlands. My
mother never returned to Indonesia until she was in her
80s. It took her a long while to be able to go back.”
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STAAND OBJECT – VERA GALIS
Staand Object (Standing Object) stands at the entrance to ‘the tower’, the
newest building at Damen Shipyards Gorinchem, which opened in 2009.
says Mrs Damen. “We thought it would be nice to do something
with a local artist.”
The local artist was Vera Galis. Vera works with metals, painstakingly
making each piece of her sculptures by hand. Her work is displayed
in public areas of organisations around the Netherlands. It uses
space, light and reflection to create interaction between architecture
and art. The building at Damen’s headquarters is itself a very light
and spacious one so is a fitting place to show such an approach.
would fit with what we do. She was inspired by the nozzles on vessels
being constructed in the production hall.”
NEW YORK CITY – A MARATHON FOR ALL
“We saw this James Rizzi piece in a gallery in Switzerland and
were immediately taken with it.”
The Damens selected the image to hang in a communal
seating area where colleagues go to talk or take telephone
calls. The piece, from 1997, shows the cityscape of New York
during a city marathon in the cheery, 3-D style for which the
artist is renowned.
“I just loved the elaborate details of it, there’s so much going
on, you can spend hours looking at it,” states Mrs Damen.
BOWL – OLAF STEVENS
This piece, to be seen in the library at Damen Shipyards Gorinchem, is
made by local artist Olaf Stevens, husband of Vera Galis who made
Staand Object (described above).
“Olaf has a very special technique, that he developed himself. He uses
multiple layers of coloured glass, repeatedly heated and molded before
the final cut and polish. This piece looks very simple at first glance, but
if you look, the colours are beautiful.”
The bowl is a deep purple colour, inlaid with gold leaf, offering a subtle,
pleasing contrast.