the bouquet...for a moment of reflection

my sister marquerite

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the bouquet...for a moment of reflection

They always say that time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself

- Andy Warhol

The Bouquet

Visual artist Rini Hurkmans has made a Monument Of Reflection in Vlaardingen, called The Bouquet.When society is being confronted with acts of meaningless violence, a wealth of flowers is put by a mass of people on the spot where the incident occurred .Rini Hurkmans' Bouquet is not a bouquet of flowers, but it is young people who are colourfully dressed as a large summerbouquet.

Most victims of meaningless violence, as are most offenders,are young people aged 17 to 24 years old.

A photograph has been made of young people from all kinds of nationalities.The group forms a metaphor for people who are in their prime of their lives full of hope, idealism and expectations. They are wearing a white scarf to demonstrate their vulnerability, their importance and their strenght. However, they all also wear a black ribbon around the arm to express their grief and to acknowledge their hurt and sadness.

The Surroundings

The photograph of The Bouquet has been taken near the nearby trainstation Vlaardingen-Oost, on the spot where the Monument can be seen. One period in summer, when the trees are full of leafs, the Monument is unified with the surroundings. The Monument expresses a moment frozen in time and at the same time it makes one aware of the continuity of life. The Monument also changes by variations of light and the succession of the seasons. When, for example, the sun shines directly on to the Monument one side changes into a feast of colour and the other side becomes dark.

The portrait has been melted between 2 hardened glassplates and placed in 3 panels in a base of concrete. The complete Monument measures 360x250 cm. and weighs 1000 kilograms. Because of the transparancy of the glass the group of young people always faces you directly, while you also see yourself reflected in the glass.

Because of this the visitor becomes part of the group.

The Bouquet...for a moment of reflection

Everybody who came to Marquerite's Memorial Service at our local church had brought the most beautiful flowers.After the Service we laid a mass of flowers in front of the monument .

Anyone who wants to, can reflect here when having experienced a fearful incident.
Anyone who wants to, can reflect here with his own grief and sadness.
Anyone who wants to, can reflect here and be still for the victims of any kind of meaningless violence.

Monument of Reflection...
invites you for a moment of reflection

A Memorial Service takes place every year at the place of the Monument,but the Monument has also been created to invite people for a moment of reflection at any time they want...

The Christian Secondary School Aquamarijn in Vlaardingen has adopted the Monument and is also closely involved in organising the yearly Memorial Service.

About the Artist

Rini Hurkmans lives and works in Amsterdam.
Her work involves many kinds of techniques.She makes images, installations and videos and she does photography. Her work has been on show nationally and internationally, for example in the Stedelijk Museum, the Historisch Museum (Museum of History) and Gallery Lumen Travo in Amsterdam.
In New York Rinis work was on show at the Holly Solomon Gallery and
The PS 1 Museum.
She has also been working on a monument for the Parque de la Memoria in Buenos Aires.

What brought about the creation of the monument?

Vlaardingen was shocked by an act of meaningless violence in January 2000.
The silent walk that followed the incident, that was taken by a mass of people from the centre of town to the trainstation Vlaardingen-Oost where the incident occurred, made a big impression on the local government in Vlaardingen. It didn't want to forget the outpouring of feelings of so many people. The Commission of Visual Arts recommended the visual artist Rini Hurkmans to create the Monument of Reflection.On 2nd March 2001 Mr.drs.W.J.Deetman, president of the Platform against Meaningless Violence, unveiled the creation.

I have translated the text from Dutch into English. Both text and photograph are copyright of The Municipality of Vlaardingen.