At the grounds of the Verbeke Foundation, trains, cranes and helicopters are scattered over the terrain. They are out of function, not longer working.
It interested me to revive this dead metal, so I started a project: TRAINS and CRANES.
image by André Smits, published in Artist In The World
In the project Trains and Cranes family and friends helped me to revive the dead metal by grinding, welding, cutting and attaching, while showered by rust laying on the ballast bed under the train or soaked by rain hanging at 10 meters high in a crane.
In the projectpart IJZER, one train is set running again, panting and moaning it covers some 40 meters in 3 hours. Back and forth, 4 times a day.
In the projectpart BIYELGEE three cranes are resurrected to perform twice a day a ballet on music composed by Ro Krauss.
During the 15 year anniversary opening at the Verbeke Foundation on Sunday June 12 2022, life performances of BIYELGEE were given by Ro Krauss.
For their help, I would like to thank Carla and Geert Verbeke, the employees and volunteers of the Verbeke Foundation, and furthermore: Els Mourits, Bart Mourits, Nila van Overbeek, Sadiq van Overbeek, Ward Gaartman, Tom van Duuren, Barend Nieuwendijk, Han Kortekaas, Ånna Heuer Hansen, Hedwig van Onna, Pieter Jan Stallen, Gert van Hoenselaar, Mark van Vught, Ineke van Doorn and last but not least Ro Krauss.