up: The Salmon of Lugh

The sculpture with the title "The Salmon of Lugh" is a fish with a long arm. The direction of the hand with the raised thumb and extended forefinger stands for knowledge. A "windmill" on top of the thumb spins in all directions showing that knowledge is a constantly evolving process.

What's going on here?

"The Salmon of Lugh" is about Lugh "with the long arms", the messenger between humans and the gods. There is an ancient Celtic tale about Lugh as a disciple of a sage who knew that Loki, the trickster, a shape shifter, the god of mischief, had transformed himself into a salmon. After you would catch the fish and eat it directly then... all of a sudden you gain infinite knowledge; you've become omniscient.

The wise asked Lugh to catch the salmon, Loki the shape-shifter. After he had caught the salmon the wise ordered him to fry it. During the preparation of the salmon, hot oil splashed onto the thumb of Lugh. He put his thumb in his mouth and then...something happened what the wise men already knew...he gained all knowledge possible. He became omniscient.

up: Nomen Nescio

It's Latin and means "I do not know the name".

The sculpture refers to the weekend of the fireworks disaster in Enschede on Saturday, May 13th and Sunday 14th 2000

"Nomen Nescio" consists of three elements: a pillar or a pedestal, a fallen cup and a bird. The three elements refer to the events during the weekend of 13 and 14 May. The pillar or pedestal gives the sculpture the height of an adult human. On the sunny Saturday many people were sitting outside, drinking there cup of tea or coffee. This neighborly scene was disturbed by a huge explosion of fireworks. People fled from their homes leaving their fallen cups behind. The following day the bird on top of the cup was the first to come back

The bird shows that shortly after a disaster nature takes possession again.

Time, life, passes through. There is no stagnancy. There is a following day. An event like a fireworks disaster is massively radical. People get wrenched out of their daily lives. They have to flee. Shocked. Panicked. They lose their grip on things and on themselves. They lose their independence. This experience, that moment, is difficult to express in words. "Nomen Nescio", I do not know the name. (thank to Lotte Verduin)