Here Geuze has reinterpreted the traditional town square as a place for public participation in unprogrammed activities. The square is constructed atop an underground parking garage, and so circumstances dictated that the surface be lightweight. For the choice of materials and overall imagery, Geuze took cues from the port city’s dominant shipping industry. A row of monumental, coin-operated hydraulic light masts—a kind of interactive kinetic sculpture recalling the steel cranes that unload shipping containers—is the square’s signature element. By day these fantastic toylike objects perform a mechanical ballet; at night they cast pools of light on the square. The plaza, slightly elevated above the surrounding area in order to create a distinct boundary, engages a nearby municipal theater, multiplex cinema, and concert hall, bringing new life to the city center.
Gallery label from 9 + 1 Ways of Being Political: 50 Years of Political Stances in Architecture and Urban Design, September 12, 2012–March 25, 2013.
