Florentijn Hofman
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Musk Rat Nieuwerkerk aan den Ijssel, 2004. 31,3 x 8 x 12 meter; wood, thatch and metal wire. In 2004, Kunstgebouw foundation and the province of Zuid-Holland wanted a temporary sculpture come mascot for the village of Nieuwerkerk aan den IJssel, located at the very lowest point in Holland (6,86 meters below sea level). It is amazing how water is being controlled there by waterworks and dykes, so this fact was taken as a starting point. It resulted in a giant alter ego of the musk rat. The musk rat (ondatra zibethicus) supposedly is the biggest threat to dykes because of its digging into them and therefor the ‘most wanted’ animal in The Netherlands.