‘Nightingale ready for take off ’
On
Tuesday 16 March, the Chairman of the Works Council, Joek Vlasblom,
officially presented the work of art offered to the Corporate Board by
Dutch
Océ employees to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the founding
of Océ.
The occasion was marked by the cutting of a ribbon to which seven balloons
had been fastened. The sculpture can be seen close to the entrance to
the car
park on Hakkes Street in Venlo.
'Nightingale
ready for take-off' is the name which
the sculptor has given to his creation. The artist,
Martien Hendriks, explains how he created this
work and why he gave it this name: 'After I was
approached to make a work of art for Océ, I was
given a tour of the company. From this I formed
my own impression of Océ: a company where
there is a highly optimistic atmosphere. Océ's
strategic products, the OPC and the seven colour
toners were my inspiration. I wanted to put all of
this into the work, which can be read as a story
about Océ. It is built up of metaphorical and
symbolic elements and says something about
Océ, its employees and the Limburg folk song'.
Zeven
Martien continues: 'The number seven is a
determining factor because of the seven colour
toners in Océ colour printers. If you view the work
from the front, then you can see seven circles.
Metaphorically you can see this as a
multidisciplinary work group. Each curve of this
circle contains one of the seven colour toners in
small blocks. These go from large to small and
this points towards the increasing development
and refinement of digital technique. The link
between the seven toners is formed by a band,
actually
the band encircles these imaginary toners.
This band represents the OPC and also symbolises
the cohesion of all the different parts of the
company. From the way in which the band has
been woven, the image of a bird is formed, just
like Océ not bound to one continent'. About
the pillar on which the bird is standing Martien
Hendriks says: 'A ring structure in Océ red has
been applied to the top part of the pillar. As they
go upwards these rings become broader and indicate
the growth of Océ. One hundred and twenty-five
centimetres are coloured red and these mark one
hundred and twenty-five years of Océ. The green
bronze colour of the pillar stands for Limburg'.
The name of the sculpture 'Nightingale ready for
take-off' thus refers to the distributors of high
value knowledge, services and products united
in a multinational with its roots in Limburg.
Portaying
Océ
Joek Vlasblom jokingly opens his speech by telling
the Corporate Board that he wants back the cheque
he presented on 7 October 2002. It was actually
a kind of I.O.U. He reminds people how the choice
of sculptor was made. 'It had to be somebody who
could make something beautiful which would
also say something about Océ. I think we have
succeeded
in finding the right person'.
Laughingly
he adds: 'Martien Hendriks lives in
Gemert. Because this present came from all Océ
employees in Venlo and all Océ employees in
's Hertogenbosch and Gemert lies exactly between
these two places, it's obvious we've made a good
choice'. He expresses the hope that just as this
work of art will now be anchored in Venlo, so
Océ will stay anchored in Venlo.
Thankful and proud
Thankful and full of pride Rokus van Iperen, the
Chairman of the Océ Corporate Board accepts
the sculpture. 'It doesn't often happen that we as
a company receive a present. If we do receive
anything, then it's a handshake, a piece of advice,
a letter or a complaint,' he says. Because Rokus
feels that 'Art must be experienced and not talked
about too much,' he keeps his speech short. He
thanks Martien Hendriks for the way in which
he has represented Océ and expresses his gratitude
to all the Océ employees. And last of all he
expresses the hope that this nightingale, just like
Océ, will rise to a great height.
Bron: 125 jaar Océ nummer 201