beeldend kunstenaar
16-12-2025
In the picticture on the left you see my ice sculpture of the ‘caution wet floor’ sign. This is made from the water of the public drinkwater fountain at Temple Bar Square, where it leans against.
Let’s look at the sign, what does it represent? Is it really used for safety? Or is it more bureaucratic procedure? The “Caution Wet Floor” sign is supposed to protect people, but in practice it often protects institutions from blame. When you use the sign and anything would happen you don’t get sued. It is not as much about the damage/damagecontrol itself but it is more about who is responsible for it?
By putting up the sign, you're essentially absolved of responsibility because you're the one issuing the warning. While you're essentially creating the problem yourself. Is this how we are handeling climate change. Who is responsible, who takes responsibility? Are institutions shifting responsibility like the sign does?
Making the ‘caution wet floor’ sign made out of ice is a literal contradiction. Since the safety sign will melt and become slippery. It exposes the performative nature of the safety sign and uses humor and contradiction to reveal underlying systems.
The ice wet floor sign is ironic because it warns against the danger it causes, and it’s paradoxical because it’s both the warning and the reason for the warning.
I’m linking this to the current environmental issues. Climate change is becoming worse and human activities are the main driver of climate change. I’m making a literal link to the melting ice caps and rising sea levels.
There is a great paradox about the position that we humans put ourselves in in relation to the climate crisis. Since we are actually the cause, but are also trying to solve it.
I myself am not any better. I’m doing my best, but I am also part of this problem. The public drinkwater fountain is a great initiative. But if it wasn’t for us it wound’t be a problem. By making the the ice sculpture out of this water it is very hypocritical of me to do so. Same as me, the sculpture does not exist outside the system it critiques, it participates in it.