Today we turn our attention to a work of art that invites us to sit, share, and reflect: Space to Take Place, designed by Claudia Linders (our very own chair 💜).
This 100-metre-long red-painted metal bench is more than a place to sit by the water; it is a sculptural gesture that creates space for meeting, resting, and reflection.
What makes the work especially remarkable is the story behind it: Dutch ambassadors in more than one hundred countries presented international relations with a piece of this bench as a gift, complete with a certificate of ownership. In this way, thousands of people around the world became co-owners of a small part of Amsterdam.
The work transforms diplomacy — a formal gift — into public space, where anyone can quite literally take a seat. It raises questions about ownership, public involvement, and how art can create both tangible and symbolic space.
Space to Take Place is therefore not only a bench, but an invitation to sit, share, and reflect on what “space” really means.
