A party for ten gable stone reliefs

Blue, blue, sky-blue

It was a completely blue party, last Thursday in the Blue Tram Street in New Remittance District in Haarlem. I went there, dressed up in my best moody blues, along with my good colleague Serge van Druten, who had also carved two of the ten stones.

There was a tiny but excellent band, some blue trim and blue drinks and balloons. It was very unfortunate that Toon van Driel, which started the relief of the Blue Tram street as a cartoon, was unable to come because of an illness. I would have like to talk to him.

Ten reliefs and only one was revealed…. mine!

Nine cartoonists designed ten gable stone reliefs, which were subsequently were brought to life in 3D by six stonemasons/stone sculptors and a few painters. That would eventually have to lead to an unveiling, of course!

The cartoonists: Theo van den Boogaard, Gerrie Hondius, Hans Klaver, Joost Swarte, Roel Smit, Matt Baaij, Paul Kosters, Toon van Driel and Alex van Koten.

Stonecarvers/sculptors: Tobias Snoep, Toon Rijkers, Harold Lans, Koos Boomstra,  Serge van Druten and Koen van Velzen.

Most sculptors painted their own stones, or polychromed them as it's termed. But we should also mention the painters Tsjerk Holtrop for the relief by Koos Boomstra, and Rómulo Döderlein de Win before mine.

There also appeared a descriptive article in the newspaper, with small pictures of all ten of the reliefs. A unique project, that will add a lot more vibrancy to this new district in Haarlem.

If you want to read it in its entirety, then open the photo with one click into a new tab.

To the first message about this facing brick.