Tweet24-03-2010 om 12:00 by Amanda Potter

The warmer weather and mixed sun/showers of springtime Maastricht has seen the return of outdoor art exhibitions. Uber Uns is an outdoor show commissioned by the city of Maastricht and created by residents of the Domus House, students of Kumulus, and students at the St. Aloysius school. Lead by the Union by Fiction professional artists, these residents worked together to create the 13 brightly colored, varied statues now on display.

My husband and I happened upon the collaboration over the weekend while strolling down Brusselsestraat towards the Vrijthof. As happens so often, one day everything was normal and the next, a large sphere of paper-mache heads dominated the center of the Koningin Emmaplein roundabout. Well the only thing we could do was explore a bit. Here are a few highlights:



Just off the roundabout, a painted car’s roof explodes outwards with a colorful cloth display; almost as if it is turning into a demented hot air balloon.



About a third of the way down the street, a mosaic bench and floor are coupled with a single, bare plastic pole to create an piece called the 'badkamer' (bathroom).



My favorite piece is a chair in a small chamber created by treated yarn and entwined around a nearby tree. Part of me wants to sit down in this simple chamber, which resembles a womb or perhaps the cocoon of a moth. The other part finds the installation vaguely frightening; a small woolen prison on the side of the road.

All 13 of the statues can still be seen with a simple stroll down Brusselsestraat. If you manage to catch a sunny day, it is worth swinging by to check out this expression of community creativity. Each statue has a name and plaque describing who helped created it. You can also visit Union by Fiction on their website to learn about other art projects they are organizing around the city.

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