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Beacon of light repaired

The media tower is used for radio (digital and also analogue as a contingency broadcaster), television (Digitenne), telecom (mobile network), terrestrial broadcasts, and data centres. We were allowed to go up the tower to experience the circumstances and to take a closer look at the artwork. The tower has been one of the tallest buildings of the city since 2009. In that year, the tower was not only elevated, it was also embellished on the basis of a design of architect Christof Schwencke. The concrete shaft of the tower was then coloured in azure blue so that it is aesthetically better in line with the Zuidas architecture and design. The circumstances at the top appear to be fairly rough; you immediately understand why there was wear and tear. It can be freezing cold, there is no such thing as a gentle breeze, rain hurts your face. You can see peregrine falcons hunt the only pigeon at this height at 360 kilometres an hour.

The tower alongside the new Van der Valk hotel

Beacon

The media tower also has the function of contingency broadcaster. Radio waves must be able to reach the ether freely. That is why the tower determines the height of the nearby buildings and, consequently, also of the skyline of Zuidas. ‘The origin of what we do here is related to communication’, says Operations Manager Peter Klein of Cellnex, the owner of the tower (previously Alticom and before that KPN). ‘The link with these surroundings is not only determined by the height of the buildings, but also by the beautiful artwork that can again be seen from Wednesday. It is a beacon of light.’

Peter Klein on the 1st plateau

Missing parts

The artwork White Noise was devised and designed by the famed light artist Giny Vos. She did this in 2009 under the authority of Zuidas. The latter with the idea of permanently including artworks in an organic manner in the architecture and public space of Zuidas. Two years ago, it became apparent that a large part of the LED lights of White Noise were no longer working, after which the artwork had provisionally been switched off. Initially, restoration appeared to be impossible because parts simply no longer existed. Vos: ‘I named the project Relight White Noise, I thought it was appropriate. Together with the supplier, the municipality of Amsterdam, and Cellnex we sought a solution. All parties contributed to the repair, because it was clear that something had to be done. The public are simply entitled to this artwork and that is why investments were made in new models of lights, with a ten-year warranty. This means that White Noise should be visible up to and including at least 2030.’

Close-up

Fire-breathing towers

Vos has been making a name for herself for about 35 years and on average she creates two works a year. What are her sources of inspiration and what story does she want to tell with White Noise? ‘Every tower is breathing something. All towers have a signal. Whether it regards the sound of the Wester Tower or the fire-breathing towers at Pernis’, she explains. ‘This tower did not have dynamic elements and that is why I wanted to create a signal, a sign for the tower. It is a starry sky with twinkling stars, with meteor showers and falling stars. At the same time, in terms of the surface area, the tower is a stamp in Zuidas. What it is about to me is that the communication goes through our air and is very abstract. That is what I mean with mystery, because it does regard communication between people. Numbers and letters, verification codes, are also occasionally displayed on the tower; that is why it is quite import that the lights are installed at exactly the right location. And in this respect, I create works like White Noise as a gift to the city.’

Near the lights in 2018

Light is like paint

The medium of Giny Vos is light. Light enables her, as she explains, to share her own mind boggles with the world. To her, light is what paint is to a painter. The surroundings in which the ultimate mind boggle needs to be shaped is, however, important to her. ‘This kind of work is not possible without a location and I aim for the surroundings to no longer be able to continue without the artwork. I think I will always continue creating works on location, to tell my story, and to create amazement.’

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