Language Tiles

A tile design for both stairwells of Corantijn Elementary School, Amsterdam School architectural style, 1924. Two continuous lines of tiles, placed one above the other, incorporating texts and drawings by students. Long tiles with texts and curved tiles with drawings – the ‘cheeks’ – alternate. The ‘cheeks’ refer to the vaulted facade of the building.

The tiles are handmade and glazed matte-white. Light and shadow effects make the artwork legible and lively. As you walk up or down the stairs, in the morning or in the afternoon, the artwork looks different every time. Each time you are surprised what you will see at the next step.

The students wrote and drew with the Language Formation Foundation about working together, learning together, playing together. They helped stamp their own text fragments into the soft clay.

DATA
Location: Corantijnschool, Amsterdam
Completion: August 2013
Collaboration: Stichting Taalvorming, Hieke van Til
Material: Ceramic tiles, matt white glaze and transfer
Dimensions: 5600 x 14 x 4 cm divided over two stairwells
Size of tiles: language tiles (45 x 7 cm), ‘cheeks’ (15 x 7 x 4 cm)
Made possible by the Amsterdam Fund for the Arts, the Mondriaan Fund and Stadsdeel West