Whereas this triangle is associated with heaviness (think pyramids), the feathers represent lightness and softness. Besides, it is not only a geometric shape, but also the Biblical symbolism of the Trinity.
Getting used to contemporary art
The reactions to Visser's works demonstrate that people sometimes have to get used to contemporary art. This was also the case when this work by Visser was first shown at the VU.
Art for Science students
A number of Visser's artworks were acquired especially for the W&N building in 1985. These were selected because they responded to the disciplines housed in this building: Mathematics and Physics, Biology and Chemistry. The art committee justified the purchases by saying: ‘The works show the poetic visual side of geometric figures, questions of spatiality and delimitation and the sensitive symbolism of natural materials’.
Many emotions
Visser's work evoked surprisingly negative reactions among scientists working in the W&N building. Calls were placed in Ad Valvas asking for the works to be removed and the college received letters with the same request. ‘Surely this had nothing to do with art at all. ’One work even sustained damage. It just goes to show that art can stir up quite a lot of emotions.
One of the Netherlands' greatest sculptors
The clear simplicity with which, in this case, Visser evokes maximum poetic eloquence in his work has since made him one of the Netherlands' greatest sculptors. Thanks to the art committee of that time, the VU now owns some of Visser's finest works. Art that can count on the high appreciation of the (inter)national art sector.
