Light Gate

You’re standing in front of Light Gate: a triumphal arch of light. See how it towers over the Oosterdok? The surrounding city celebrates your arrival. Amsterdammers are dancing and singing on the quays. They’re calling your name. The streets are filled with banners with your image. Our hero has entered the city!

Light Gate was made by the artist Edwin Baruch. It’s a metal structure supported by floating pontoons, with lights along the inside. A gateway: an arch made especially for you. And you’ll probably get a sense of some historic event. It’s reminiscent of the triumphal arches you find in other old cities. And that’s precisely what the artist envisioned when he started on this work – how can something from the past serve as inspiration for something created today?

Fun fact
In Light Gate, Edwin Baruch explores the relationship between historical and modern-day objects. The way he sees it, Light Gate could just as well come from the future as from the past.