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in the garden

For over 35 years I have been maintaining a courtyard garden on the WG site in Amsterdam Oud West. It started in 1985, shortly after I moved into my studio. The old laboratory on the ground floor of the former hospital seemed to me the best location for my work.

I looked out at the remains of the foundations of the demolished barracks of the former Wilhelmina Gasthuis hospital. It was bare and cluttered. The white sand blew in through the cracks and open windows. An annoying side effect that inspired me to change it. Together with my beloved I made a plan for the construction of the garden. My greatest wish was a pond with a water lily. It came first and is still there.

To be able to build the garden further, I ordered a few cubic meters of black soil and moved it from the street to the garden with a wheelbarrow. We collected plants from friends' and family's gardens and sowed grass. The garden that was created borders our studios and grew into a small paradise, a living work of art that we, with neighbors, local residents and casual passers-by enjoy every day.

To this day people stop to express their admiration when I am working in the garden.