The Phenomenal Road

The Phenomenal Road is an artistic research of the image of the freeway. It was initiated in 2001 by SKOR and the Ministry of Waterways and Public Works and is part of the programme, ‘Wegen naar de Toekomst’ (‘Roads to the Future’). With this programme the Ministry is investigating how the freeway or the experience thereof can be improved in the future. Visual artists, Hans van Houwelingen and Boris Sieverts, documentary makers The Good Guys (Leon Giesen and Marcel Prins) and architect Paul Meurs contributed to this project. The research was developed by SKOR and the Ministry of W&PW in collaboration with Bureau Venhuizen and was presented in May 2002.

Büro für Städtereisen

The Büro für Städtereisen (Cologne 1997), which was established by artist Boris Sieverts (Berlin 1969), provided an exploratory voyage around the freeway, titled ‘Freeway Beautiful – An Exploratory Voyage around the Freeway’. Since 1997 Büro für Städtereisen regularly organizes trips to the remote corners of our urban landscapes.
(For more information: www.neueraeume.de.)

Hans van Houwelingen

Since the early 1990s, Hans van Houwelingen (Harlingen 1957) has realized various high-profile projects within the public domain. Each is distinguished by intense socio-political concern. ‘The Phenomenal Road’ provided him with the possibility of developing new propaganda that aims to improve the image of the freeway and its creator: The Ministry of Waterways and Public Works!
For more information email: houwel@xs4all.nl.

The Good Guys

Since 1991 camera/director team The Good Guys, made up of Leon Giesen (1962 Venlo, director) and Marcel Prins (1962 Ibadan, cameraman) have been making documentaries and short films. The Good Guys flew above a freeway and filmed it at a perpendicular angle. This transformed the freeway and its surrounding landscape into a type of moving painting that floats along. For more information: goodguys@xs4all.nl