Workum
For centuries, the city’s coat of arms on Workum’s former weighing-house ‘De Waag’ has been held aloft by two lions. They appear naive and their theatrical pose tickles our funny bone. But as Workum’s fountain, firmly on the ground with more than life-size dimensions, they are no longer minor figures, but protagonists. At some distance from each other they now spray water at each other like fighting cats. ‘Look at Workum’, they seem to call out to us. For without the coat of arms, the empty space between them suddenly offers a view of the vibrant reality of the city.
Sustainable Accoya wood, paint, gold leaf
3.5 m high
Source of inspiration: the 2 lions that support the city’s coat of arms on De Waag
Location: the stretch of grass at the new Passantenhaven
Address: 8711 CL Workum
The Rampant Lions of Workum
Cornelia Parker
Origins
Cornelia ParkerGB
Cornelia Parker (1956) takes immense pleasure in blowing up, duplicating, stretching or shattering everyday objects and well-known images from art and culture, as a kind of act of liberation.
Because by creating large-scale sculptures or installations in this way, the old and familiar get a new meaning, with a hint of British humour into the bargain. In this process, Parker collaborates intensively with others.
What interests me, she says, are the hidden potentials of images, objects and materials. Parker was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2010. In 2017 she was the first female artist to be named Election Artist, a special honour during the British general elections.
Experience Workum
Workum is a city of art and churches. The city has two churches, one of which (the Saint Gertrudis Church) is the largest late-Gothic cruciform church in the province. You will also find unique biers in this church. Painted and inscribed they are works of art in themselves. The Jopie Huisman Museum offers even more art for who is keen, but the authentic houses in the streets of Workum are also a feast for the eyes.
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, ...