Space To Take Place

The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs commissioned Droog to develop a new business gift: in an edition of thousand and to be handed out to the most important contacts of Dutch embassies worldwide. Droog decided to launch this project as a competition and selected ten finalists out of sixty design proposals.

On 30th of November 2006 a professional jury came together at the Ministry to choose the winner. Chairman of the jury was Ph.D Philip de Heer, secretary-general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, jury members were Jan Hoekema, Nikki Gonnissen, Ed Annink and Guus Beumer. After thoroughly discussing every finalists’ work they were unanimous in their decision: the winning idea is Space To Take Place by Claudia Linders.

Space to Take Place is a 100-meter bench, placed on the waterfront of IJburg in Amsterdam. By means of ‘deeds of donation’ the international contacts of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are given a personal space, a concrete image of the Netherlands. The bench is also interesting as a project that will actually realize a bench as collective property.
 

The official presentation of the bench took place on October 6th, 2008, in the presence of the Mayor of Amsterdam, Job Cohen, and the State Secretary for European Affairs, Frans Timmermans.

Take a seat
The developments around Space To Take Place can soon be followed at: [www.spacetotakeplace.nl]. And, of course, do take a seat on the bench yourself: Bert Haanstrakade, IJburg, Amsterdam. (tram 26 goes from Central Station to IJburg. Get out at IJburglaan, the first stop on Haveneiland. Then walk to the waterside and follow your way to the left: here’s the bench!). See you there…”