Sloten
‘Peewit’ shows a girl standing on the shoulders of a man. She is holding a bird in her hand. Under the man’s feet, a haphazard stack of buckets, jerrycans and wash tubs forms the base of the fountain. These universal containers through which water flows in and out quietly, refer to something that we in our society possess in abundance but that cannot be taken for granted in other parts of the world: water – the source of all life. The bird the girl cherishes is a peewit, an endangered species in Friesland.
Bronze, coating
5 m high
Source of inspiration: the peewit as an endangered species of bird, water as a source of life
Location: G.G. van der Walplein, at the entrance of the city
Address: Koestraat, 8556 XJ Sloten
Peewit
Lucy & Jorge Orta
Origins
Speech Shinji Ohmaki
Speech given during the opening of 11fountains on 18 May 2018. IJLST – SHINJI OHMAKI From the first time I ...
Lucy & Jorge Orta GB, AR
The versatile work of artist couple Lucy & Jorge Orta (1966, 1953) focuses on food, water and environmental issues. In their often long-term, intensive research projects, they work together with scientists, NGOs and local communities. Their excursions to Antarctica and the Amazon resulted in interesting thematic exhibitions. The transformation of the Frisian pasture landscape and the close sense of community in Sloten strongly appeal to the couple, and this is reflected in their fountain.
Lucy & Jorge Orta received several awards including the 2007 ‘Green Leaf Award’ for artistic excellence in combination with an environmentally conscious message, awarded by the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo.
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Experience Sloten
Welcome to the smallest of the eleven cities: Sloten. Although small, it is by no means less beautiful. Here you will find the loveliest façades of Friesland, and all this in a car-free environment.
Trees that line the canal, flowers on the footbridges, and centuries-old cobblestones add colour to the streets and alleys of this natural gem. This 30-minute walking tour takes you through and around Sloten, so you can see its beauty from all sides.
Discover the eleven cities of Friesland
Where on earth are cities smaller than villages? Only in Friesland. Our cities thank their title not to their size, ...