Watdataangaat

Designed by Marc van Vliet, with movable backrests that shape your outlook. Face the landscape or turn towards the sea. You choose your perspective. The work is connected to De Streken on Terschelling. Two places, one shared idea. Sit, look, and feel what the tide does to you.

The Frisian Wadden coast has gained a special new work of art. In memory of Joop Mulder, Watdataangaat has been placed on the Sea Dike near Koehool. This bench was designed by visual artist Marc van Vliet and financed by Joop’s close friends. The title Watdataangaat refers to a phrase Joop used frequently.

Marc van Vliet created this bench in the same style as his tidal artwork ‘de Streken’, using the same material and following the same rhythm. De Streken moves with the tides, while with Watdataangaat you move the backrest yourself. “The backrests can be moved. You can look out over the Frisian landscape, or look across the Wadden Sea with Terschelling on the horizon,” says Marc van Vliet.

The design and movement of the bench refer to ‘De Streken’, and the two works are therefore connected. A wind rose has also been placed on Terschelling as a reference to Joop and as a marker for ‘De Streken’. In the centre of the wind rose is a stopper. “When Joop became frustrated by all the regulations, he would say that he was going to pull the stopper out of the island. You can find that stopper by the dike near Oosterend, at the access point where ‘De Streken’ is installed every year,” says Marc van Vliet.

When you sit on this artwork near Koehool, you experience the connection between Joop Mulder’s works on Terschelling and the works on this side of the Wadden coast. It is a wonderful place to sit and reflect, on either side of the bench.