About

From 2013 I’ve collected photos of self-made (No)Parking constructions. In my opinion they are creative, improvised constructs made to keep a parking space free. People use material that is around them at that moment and place it in a parking space. Consider ladders, chairs, wooden beams and brooms, though the list of materials is infinite. An installation is created in which several objects form a whole, to make it clear to bystanders that the parking spot will shortly be used. The existence of these constructions is an unwritten rule: it is not the intention to appropriate the parking space, but this is generally accepted.
   To create a platform for these photos, I started an Instagram account called Parkingconstructions. Once a day I post a picture of a recently discovered parking structure. From the moment I set up the account I received many pictures from people who have happened upon a parking structure. I post these received photos with the name of the person who found the construction and indicate the place and time. I mention the time because parking constructions are temporary, and easily dismantled at any time.

The sculptural sensation in the parking constructions is a fundamental aspect for me. People who make these constructions are not always aware that it is an intuitive expression of creativity. Within a few seconds a composition is made using a wide variety of materials. In my opinion, this also has a childlike aspect: playing with stuff.
   These parking constructions can be found everywhere, you could say that it is almost a universal language. For example, I have found and received parking constructions that have been spotted abroad: Germany, America, Morocco, Scotland, Spain and Hungary, all countries where there is a clear infrastructure with regard to parking spaces.

As a visual artist I made a work in which I immortalized six of these parking constructions in concrete. I then installed these concrete sculptures around the Royal Academy of Art. I showed this installation to my teachers and fellow students through a bike tour.
   'Parking constructions' is an 'ongoing' project, at this moment (April, 2018) there are more than 300 photos on the Instagram account. To date I receive and find parking structures myself. The idea is to publish a book in the future of these found parking constructions.

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Parkingconstructions

March 2016
The Hague
Sculpture/ongoing project
250 x 150 cm