Man Nesting in a Rotterdam Tower

Posted by Alex in Arts & Crafts, Pictures, Travel & Places, Video Clips on May 20, 2008 at 2:54 pm


High on the Rotterdam Weena Tower, Benjamin Verdonck is nesting. Literally. Here’s a strange art project called "the Great Swallow" involving a nest, a man, and a giant egg (yes, why do you think he’s nesting?).

A nest is hanging high from the Rotterdam Weena Tower. Feathers fly around it. There’s a man in the nest. He nested there only four days ago. He stretches his arms out wide open, as if he wants to fly. But it also seems like he is trying to stay upright (losing his feathers). Some people even think that the man wants to embrace them.

Here’s the YouTube video clip:

Only in the Netherlands! Link [mostly in Dutch, with some English translation] - via rebel:art




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COMMENT

23 comments to "Man Nesting in a Rotterdam Tower"

  1. CheeseDuck
    May 20th, 2008 at 4:36 pm

    No way.. That has to be fake.

  2. bean
    May 20th, 2008 at 4:43 pm

    This is well within the range of normal for the Netherlands. Some Americans would be shocked by some of the art that used to be displayed at Schiphol.

  3. bean
    May 20th, 2008 at 5:07 pm

    Oh, and according to google translate, here’s his official mission:

    “A seven day, 24 hour long theatrical moving 50 meters above the Weena unfolds in Rotterdam that tragic course of a man who comes and sees his listeners in an attempt to arms to fall.”

    Based on what I could make out of some of the other pages, this is day four. He may be trying to make a point about people polluting and overcrowding the planet, or companies like Unilever endangering animals and indigenous people.

    It sort of ends with him talking about becoming strong for his last battle, and then pussying out.

  4. SparkS
    May 20th, 2008 at 5:31 pm

    Contrary to what the headline says it seems to me he and his nest are ON the tower not IN it.

    I don’t think it’s fake. He’s simply a nutso Hollander.

    I hope someone takes a movie when he takes his first flight. If he makes it he’ll truly be “De Vliegende Hollander”. GGGGGGGG

  5. Ali S.
    May 20th, 2008 at 5:37 pm

    It doesn’t look very sturdy at all. Nor well constructed as you can tell from the picture stuff is falling off of it.

  6. oakling
    May 20th, 2008 at 5:55 pm

    maybe stuff is meant to be falling off of it to be more realistic?
    freaking awesome, anyway.

  7. SparkS
    May 20th, 2008 at 5:56 pm

    Perhaps he’ll be taking his first flight sooner than expected.

  8. SparkS
    May 20th, 2008 at 6:15 pm

    This is a test.

    RYRYRYRY

    Do not read this.

    TEST

    (my new avatar isn’t showing up.)

  9. Q
    May 20th, 2008 at 6:31 pm

    I’ve seen this guy in action when he ‘nested’ for a week on the Rotunda tower in Birmingham, UK! He’s Belgian and I seem to remember from the news coverage at the time (as some were concerned about the safety aspect) the ‘nest’ is actually a metal cage with twigs and vegetation entwined about it to give it some authenticity.

  10. Lore
    May 20th, 2008 at 6:49 pm

    WTF?!! I don’t even know what to think.

  11. Alex
    May 20th, 2008 at 7:05 pm

    I see your new avatar, SparkS - maybe it was a cache related issue.

  12. ted
    May 20th, 2008 at 8:36 pm

    It’s right in front of a window, probably very secure.

    Dink.

  13. ted
    May 20th, 2008 at 8:56 pm

    Just watched the video. Dink has some sort of bracing system holding him in. So, he flails his arms around, and looks all precarious, but he’s fine.
    The people on the street should roll away his damn egg.

  14. roger
    May 20th, 2008 at 9:35 pm

    I wonder if he poops on passerby for realism

  15. Claire
    May 20th, 2008 at 9:40 pm

    I was listening to Edith Piaf while watching the youtube video for this artistic nesting… so fitting. When the bystander lowered their arms the song stopped. She was “sparrow”. It fit. I think you can put her singing behind anything and make it better though. I have yet to do it to a Bush speech…

  16. Christophe
    May 20th, 2008 at 10:37 pm

    No respect whatsoever for building codes. Tsss.

  17. Archbob
    May 20th, 2008 at 11:12 pm

    That is just some crazy stuff!

  18. Ari
    May 21st, 2008 at 3:11 am

    It isn’t a fake. He was in Birmingham UK a few years ago and I saw him in person. It was quite entertaining. At some times he would play birdsong and while standing he would lean over the edge of nest and do a weird dance. I’m not one for modern art but I like this dude.

  19. Ariane
    May 21st, 2008 at 3:14 am

    Not fake. He was on the Rotunda in Birmingham a few years ago. He didn’t just sit there either. Sometimes he would dance and lean over the edge. Sometimes he would immitate birdsong. Crazy and all I quite liked it.

  20. Dani
    May 21st, 2008 at 3:16 am

    So that’s what that is. I was there Sunday and walked by this and couldn’t figure out what it might have been. You see all sorts of odd things in Netherlands though, so I didn’t really think too hard about it. There’s a UFO crashed into a building here in Utrecht and when I was living in Amersfoort there was a big white fish in a tree.

  21. SparkS
    May 21st, 2008 at 5:52 pm

    Thanks Alex I think I finally figured it out.
    Had me going there for a little while.

  22. ptitz
    May 25th, 2008 at 2:26 am

    hahahah, me and my friends spotted that thing on a building a week ago or so! that was so weird! especially since all of us pass by that place at least a few times a week and didnt notice it! NOW that i know what it is im gona act smart and tell everyone.

  23. rickie
    May 28th, 2008 at 4:32 pm

    Nutcase


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