Isn’t it intriguing how a seemingly ordinary rock can hold so much history? This is the Standing Stone Sculpture. It is located just before Overtoom 16. This artwork by PINK de Thierry is more than just a stone. It is a story frozen in time.
The Standing Stone Sculpture dates back to 1989. It is a simple composition. A boulder rests on a marble base. The stone itself is ancient. It is estimated to be around 2 billion years old. It is red Vaxjo granite from the area near Vaxjo. Glaciers transported it during the Ice Age to Drenthe.
PINK de Thierry, whose real name is Helena Scheerder, used this stone in her performances. She called it MWC for Man Woman Child. MWC was her family. It included her partner Donald Louw and their daughter Sara. They were also known as Familie de Koning. One performance was titled Standing Stone-Portrait of Holland. It featured the very stone you see here.
After getting permission from the city the artist placed the Standing Stone Sculpture here. A photoshoot captured the family standing on the stone. It became a stately portrait.
But the Standing Stone Sculpture’s journey didn’t end there. The Familie de Koning took a walking trip to Zandvoort aan Zee. The stone traveled by truck and shovel. There was a stop at the Frans Hals Museum in Haarlem. Derk Snoep, the director, pointed out a similarity. It was Everard Meysters’ painting De Amersfoortse steentrekking from 1661. It also showed people standing on a stone.
The Standing Stone Sculpture was then placed in the North Sea. It was at the edge of the Ice Age from the Saalien period. Another family photoshoot took place in the surf. The Standing Stone project was supposed to tour Europe. A map would mark the locations. The Standing Stone Sculpture was to return to Overtoom at the end.
Originally, the Standing Stone Sculpture was meant to be temporary. However, the project never continued. In 1996, the Amsterdam Fund for the Arts wanted to remove it. They thought it was temporary. Yet, the Standing Stone Sculpture remains here.
The stone rests on a granite base. Golden letters spell out ‘Standing Stone.’ It is signed PINK. The artwork reminds us that art can transform the ordinary. It gives it new meaning. It is a story of family, performance, and a journey through Holland. The Standing Stone Sculpture remains. It is a permanent fixture in Amsterdam-West.