Artwork: Water Bearers

This little artwork consists of a number of parts, namely a split branch, a plinth, a small bottle on a metal wire and the remains of a half-decayed hinge from a well cover.

The metal strip is the hinge of an old well cover. The well beside which this piece of rusted iron lay is next to the little church of Ginnum, a mound village in the north of Friesland. For many centuries ‘healthy water’ was drawn up from the well here. From the pulpit, people heard about Jesus, who said: “I am the living water…” (John 4). Nowadays this church and its well have lost their old function.

The hinge has an important function, namely: closing and opening the well. A turning point…

I found the branch on the Veluwe. The heart of the branch has a striking discolouration. The two halves look and behave like two human figures.

A small bottle has been hung on the hinge. This shows that it is precious and something we must look after together. The living water, the water of life, must be carried to those who are thirsty.

How deep must a person descend, how low must they bend the knee, to reach the living water?

At the bottom of the well it is dark and you are deprived of light. It is precisely there in the dark that you must take in the living water. Every drop counts. Strengthened, you can then go on again…

Size: height 50 cm

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