1 & 2 september 2024
1 & 2 september 2024
War, earthquakes, inflation, crisis, the pressure on the housing market. For one or more of these current occurrences, everyone is struck by the idea: why is this happening to me and why is there no justice? It is exactly these questions that the four designers for Helpt Elkander are expressing in their float. That a marble sculpture depicting the Roman goddess Justitia or Lady Justice, has meanwhile become the symbol for judicial power. Whereas originally she was the goddess of justice and righteousness.
“The public will see that this sculpture is far from flawless”, says Jeroen. “Although she has been hewn from strong marble, she also shows her vulnerability. We have elaborated upon a picture of a broken sculpture. Ultimately cracks will literally appear in the sculpture.” According to him they represent injustice and the lack of righteousness.
We have not often seen marble used in Corso floats. “It therefore seemed interesting for us to explore this material further”, continues Thierry. “How could we construct a float with marble which seems genuinely real?” For this purpose the designers lined up various samples of marble. They selected a combination of white and light brown. “We are not going to dye any dahlias”, says Thierry who studied the jury report for 2022 thoroughly. “We want to achieve that effect by drying the flowers. In this way they will discolour naturally.”
In contrast, the three characteristic symbols of Lady Justice, the sword, the blindfold and the scales will be made from a striking metallic material forming a sharp contrast to the vulnerable marble. The balance of the scales will ultimately `tip’ against a background of a dramatic crescendo of music. When this happens the motion of the float will also completely emerge. The sculpture of Lady Justice will not thus remain the same throughout the parade. It is a sculpture which is ultimately no longer in balance.
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Jeroen Michielsen (27) is panel builder in electrical engineering. Thierry Sprenkels (27) is a set builder. The brothers Oscar (31) and Ivo (36) Dockx are carpenters and mechanical engineers. This is the third design for the foursome. Last year and in 2021 they designed for the De Lent, but this year they were asked to design for the Helpt Elkander, where they have been given a free hand.
Original Dutch text: Guus Arnouts
Translation: Mary Tine
Photo: Mark Maas
Hamlet Helpt-Elkander
www.helptelkander.nl
This article is brought to you by Corsief. An independent magazine about corsos in general and the Zundert flower parade in particular. The magazine is produced entirely by volunteers, who are all more or less active in the Zundert flower parade world. Corsief is entirely full-colour and appears four times a year.