Cuyperspassage - Amsterdam, Netherlands. - Murals on Waymarking.com

The mural is located on the wall of the Cuyperspassage, a tunnel that is named after the Dutch architect Petrus Josephus Hubertus Cuypers who designed the Station.

The tunnel is 110 meters in length and 3 meters in height carries a pedestrian path and bicycle lane underneath Amsterdam central station. It allows direct and convenient access to the waterfront where commuters can board ferries taking them to the north of Amsterdam.

The tunnel is divided to create safe and separate spaces for both cyclist and pedestrians. The cycle side is covered with black, sound-absorbing asphalt with LED lights illuminating the edges of the cycleway. The cycle path is also lower than the pedestrian side to promote safety.

The pedestrian side of the tunnel is beautifully decorated with 80, 000 Dutch style, delft blue tiles that were hand painted by artist and designer Irma Boom.
The tile mural depicts a fleet of large and small merchant vessels, herring busses, the churning waves of rough seas and seagulls.
The design was inspired by a restored work by Dutch tile painter Cornelis Boumeester, whose works depicting the warship Rotterdam and the herring fleet is part of the Rijksmuseum collection. The original crest on the stern has been replaced with the Amsterdam coat of arms and vessels, waves, seagulls and herring busses have been added.

The Dutch ceramics company Koninklijk Tichelaar crafted the 46,000 wall tiles for the tableau as well as 33,000 tiles for the floor. Each tile is made in the traditional Dutch tile size of 13 x 13 cm, recalling the safety and warmth of a traditional Dutch domesticity.
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"Urban room
Along the footpath wall is a tile tableau designed by Irma Boom Office. The design steps off from a restored work by the Rotterdam tile painter Cornelis Boumeester (1652-1733). His tile panel depicting the Warship Rotterdam and the Herring Fleet is in the collection of the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Irma Boom replaced the original crest on the stern with the Amsterdam coat of arms. The cyclist or pedestrian leaves the old historic part of Amsterdam through Cuyperspassage and heads towards ‘new Amsterdam’ in the north, or vice versa. The tableau fades away towards the IJ-river, the lines of the original work gradually dissolving. Then it builds up again in an abstract form from light to dark blue, as if encouraging cyclists to slow down as the ferry comes into view. Its drawn lines and pixels also visualize the transition in art from the old to the new. The ceramic company, Royal Tichelaar Makkum, spent five years making the 46,000 wall tiles for the tableau, as well as 33,000 floor tiles, in the traditional Dutch tile size of 13 x 13 cm. In it, we see large and small merchant vessels, herring busses with nets in place, churning waves, gulls. The whole recalls old kitchens in Amsterdam canal houses, so that the tunnel is experienced as a safe place – as an urban room." Source: (visit link)
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City: Amsterdam Location Name: Cuyperspassage Artist: Irma Boom Date: 21st November 2015 Media: Delft Tiles Relevant Web Site: Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   11/19/2022 icemac visited it 04/11/2022 Dutch Coaster visited it

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