Bakehouse

Arnhem, Netherlands

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Bakehouse

Arnhem, Netherlands

Firm

Alphons ter Avest

Type

Cultural › Sculpture

STATUS

Built

YEAR

2016

SIZE

0 sqft - 1000 sqft

Bakehouse by Alphons ter Avest is part of Sonsbeek’16 transACTION. It exists of a stone oven surrounded by a decorative wooden structure. Bakers from various cultural backgrounds use the wood to bake until there is nothing left of the house.

This Bakehouse is build up from ornaments rooted in Christian, Jewish, Islamic, Hindu and Buddhist culture. Already in a distant past Arab culture stood out for its mathematic and astrologic knowledge and consequently you find rich geometric decorations here. Our Western European culture however has a tradition of decorations that often derive from natural motives. Centre point of the house is a bread oven that will be fired weekly with the plane wood of the house in order to bake the bread. Bakers from different ethnic roots are invited to do so. During Sonsbeek’16 the oven will be used this way almost every Sunday afternoon between 13.00 and 18.00 h. Civilians visitors and locals can bring their doughs to the oven as well and have the them baked by the bakers. In the end the whole house will be burned.

Bakehouse is part of the International sculpture exhibition Sonsbeek’16 in Sonsbeek Park. It appears from 4 June until 18 September between Molenplaats (Mill place) and the Water museum at the Zijpendaalseweg in Arnhem.
The neighbouring White Flour mill was probably built around 1470, and is one of the oldest flour suppliers of the city of Arnhem. Originally, there were several water mills along the St. Jans - or Sonsbeek (beek = stream). The white mill is the only operational mill left. Further upstream lies the abandoned Beguines Mill that houses the Dutch Water museum.
Bakehouse is made of five plane trees from Nijmegen that needed to be cut down and came on the timber market. Plane is - as well as beech and birch – suitable to use for a stone oven. Pine and oak are not usable because of the resins and acids they contain.
While firing the oven, planks are gradually taken out from all patterns of the house, so during the exhibition other patterns become visible and the whole gets more transparent. On 18 September only the oven will be still standing.

Symbolism in Bakehouse:

1 Dharmachakra – Buddhism
The Dharmachakra literally means
‘Wheel of Dharma’, or ‘Wheel of law’. Within Buddhism it is a symbol for the path to enlightenment. The eight spokes represent the ‘eightfold path’. The centre stands for discipline and the ring with the spokes for Samadhi (centered attention).

2 S t. James scallop – Christianity
In the Christian iconography the scallop is the attribute of James the Greater. The shell is the emblem of the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela (Santiago means St. Jacob /
St. James) and is a universal sign for pilgrims. Visably wearing the shell protected them against bandits, who left carriers in peace according to their code of honour.

3 Swastika – Hinduism
The swastika (or sun wheel) is a symbol in the shape of a cross with a hook at all ends. It is the holiest sign from the Hinduism and Jainism. The symbol also occurred on early Christian tombs, ancient Greek mosaic floors and utensils of early medieval Norwegian
Vikings. Before and during World War II, the swastika was symbol for the NSDAP exploited by the Nazis. Since then the swastika is - especially in Western countries - associated with this, despite the very old history of the symbol itself. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the sun wheel was still used as a symbol of prosperity and happiness worldwide.

4 Latin cross – Christianity
The Latin cross is a cross shape with a longer vertical arm than the horizontal arm. The cross is the symbol par excellence of Christianity. About the form of the cross on which Jesus died is difference of opinion. There are four shapes of crosses known: crux simplex:
the cross as stake (I), crux decussata (X): the St. Andrew’s cross, crux commissa:
the tau Cross (T) or Antonius, and crux immissa: the Latin cross (†).

5 Star of David – Judaism
The Star of David or David-shield is a spiritual hexagram symbol, a combination of two equilateral triangles. It appears in many cultures (Egyptian, Indian, Chinese and Peruvian), but it is particularly a symbol of Judaism. The Star of David already was a decorative
motive for the Jewish world in ancient times. It appears to be of the age of David and Solomon and it would have graced the Temple in Jerusalem. However, a connection with the Biblical King David has never been proven.

6 Moon and star – Islam
In islam the crescent moon and a star (in fact the Sun) stand together as the symbol of the religion. The Moon – as reflector of the Sun (the source) - literally and figuratively lights the darkness. The Moon grows in time from a crescent Moon to a full Moon, which can be interpreted as spiritual growth. Besides the crescent Moon and five-pointed star, the star and Moon combination is very common in Islamic abstract ornaments and often present in (tile) mosaics.

Wood Building: Koen van Oort Productie
Metal Oven: Koos Schaart Adventures
Concrete Oven: Jochem de Wit (http://www.jochemdewit.nl/)

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Bakehouse

Arnhem, Netherlands

Bakehouse

Arnhem, Netherlands

Product Spec Sheet

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