Van Gogh’s Starry Night Recreated With Public Art Bike Path Fusion For 125th Death Anniversary

Vincent Van Gogh

The Dutch artist and designer Daan Roosegaarde has created an illuminated cycle path to commemorate the 125th anniversary of Vincent van Gogh’s death, inspired by the artist’s iconic painting ‘The Starry Night’ (1889), the Washington Post reports.

The site specific and functional art installation is a kilometre-long, and located in the Dutch province of North Brabant, where van Gogh’s was born. The work features 50,000 solar-powered stones, embedded in the ground. After a day of sunlight; the rocks shine at night, resulting in breathtaking swirls of echoing the brush strokes of the van Gogh masterpiece in glowing patterns. It is part of the Van Gogh Cycle Route, which connects several Van Gogh heritage sites across 335 kilometres.

The sunless Dutch winter is not an issue for Roosegaarde. Along the solar-powered stone, the artist has embedded LED lights in the path, which will enhance visibility on cloudy days, when the stones may not be able to charge.

The path is also one of the first offerings of ‘Van Gogh 2015’, which is a year-long program of cultural events across the Netherlands, Belgium, and France, that will commemorate the 125th anniversary of the death of the famous painter. The path represents an example of public art that fuses the art of the installation with practical purpose; integrating art with site-specific social needs.

“I wanted to create a place that people will experience in a special way, the technical combined with experience, that’s what techno-poetry means to me,” Roosegaarde said in a statement.

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