'Genesis' 1968

Location: On the lawn in front of the Hoofgebouw 

"I do not feel any need to copy things. What engages me are questions like 'What propels something, what structures are inside it?' I have always been fascinated by the genesis of plants and organic shapes. 'Genesis' is a good example of that."

Killaars (1922) first studies at the School of Applied Art and then at the Jan van Eyck Academy, both in Maastricht. As a boy he collects shells, corals and crystals and those structures he later uses in his work. At first he keeps close to those original shapes and his work is given concrete titles such as 'Fruit' or 'Germ'. While doing this, he

discovers all sorts of things, sometimes unawares, sometimes consciously: "For instance, you see structures of shells back in other things. That is a given which you can use further."

From this his main theme emerges: the simplification of organic basic structures, which he shapes in various ways, for example by stacking them on top of each other in a spiral. It is not only the work, but also the titles that become more and more abstract: 'Energy', 'Evolution' and 'Genesis'.

'Genesis', which Killaars made especially for the TU/e in 1968 and which is positioned in the pond, is a turning point in his oeuvre. This is the first time that Killaars unites a concrete given, a hand, with an abstract given, growth. From the pond in front of the Hoofdgebouw a hand emerges from the water, which intertwines with a whimsical outgrowth. He considers this to be a fitting theme for the Technische Hogeschool Eindhoven, as did the then Art Committee. Later, upon the renovation of the campus, the pond is filled in and the sculpture stands on the lawn in front of the Hoofdgebouw.

See also: Vubis database

http://www.tue.nl/cursor/bastiaan/jaargang43/cursor19/cultuur.shtml