“Suikerpee has been embraced by the general public”

By: Christel Schiphorst Thursday March 10 1:32 PM – 2022

DINTELOORD – Creative energy shines through in conversation with Hans Hanssen, the artist living in Dinteloord, who submitted his work ‘De Suikerpee’ to the Jubilee Works 750 years Steenbergen competition.

When Hans Hanssen was asked a few years ago by the village council to contribute ideas for a work of art, he immediately knew it had to be a sugar beet. A model quickly flows from his hands, as does the idea that it must be made of Corten steel. He realized it in close collaboration with the blacksmith Peter van Meel. “I thought about the direction of the beetroot, on the roundabout, leaning towards Stampersgat, where the sugar factory is. And then the play of the wind, through the ribs of the beet, which was also important,” says Hans, “and also the changing incidence of light, because the beet is open with this beautiful foliage. The beet even winks,” laughs Hanssen, “if you look closely, of course, and the sun shines just through the ribs.

Maori inspired

The artist, who grew up in New Zealand, finds her inspiration in the forms of nature. From an early age, he was fascinated by the Maori, the first inhabitants of New Zealand. He still has a wooden figurine, which he made when he was 13, a character with an acentric head and typically feminine features. When Hans was about to return to the Netherlands, he was invited by the New Zealand Maori Arts & Crafts Institute, where only people of Maori descent are admitted, to study Maori woodcarving. A great honor, but he nevertheless returned to the Netherlands, where he at some point met his wife Evelyn. Hans: “Nature inspires me, but also antiquity, craftsmanship, prehistory, Polynesian cultures, Aboriginal music… and just as much driftwood and natural stones. I enjoy working with a wide variety of materials, from wood to stone and steel to concrete, and I love organic design.

Positive reactions

“It’s not easy to do something that the general public also embraces,” says Hans, “but I think we’ve done pretty well with the Suikerpee. I’m getting a lot of positive beet feedback, really, and I think also that it is wonderful that it was put in light (blue), around the carnival. In this way, the Sugar Pee becomes that of everyone. The choice of material, which can last up to a hundred years, despite the rusty look, was also done very consciously. “The older the pee gets, the more beautiful it is”, explains Hans. “The patina of the rust becomes deeper, more intense and more mixed due to the influence of the severe weather. Corten steel is a type of iron that rusts, but over time a film layer forms on it and the steel seals itself, protected against weather influences. “Hans Hanssen also brought the Siwa fish back to life. He worked for hours at Wim van Osdorp on fish, to give it a “revival”. Today ‘Siwa’ shines in the sun, near the port of Dinteloord.

House

“When you enter the roundabout now, you feel at home in Dinteloord”, smiles the artist, “de Suikerpee will welcome you for eternity.”