We recently had the privilege of organising a special ritual with artist Ad de Jong, as part of + the victory of the offering +, the project surrounding the dismantling of his sculpture All Rays On Us. Together, our volunteers Eric, Arnold, and Bart, guided by Ad and accompanied by the meditative sounds of a shruti box, lifted the bags filled with parts of All Rays On Us into the poplar trees. There, the work could take a graceful leave—of the people, the trees, the earth, and the waters of the fort island—and they, in turn, could say farewell to the work.

Ad (@addejongart) and Kunstfort director Rabiaâ Benlahbib shared a few words: about the old poplar that, two years ago and with the help of storm Poly, chose to cleave one of her branches straight through the artwork, and about the act of allowing art to disappear. All this unfolded in the company of participants Jaap, Mart, Tom, and Wendy from SEIN (@epilepsiesein), along with sweet treats and dramatic skies.

Since 2021, All Rays On Us has glistened on the fort island, weathering sun, rain, and storms, anchored in the earth, the water, and the 75-year-old poplars. Over the past months, Ad has guided a slow, deliberate process of dismantling the sculpture together with SEIN residents. Canvases painted in moments of intuition, focus, and warm attention were transformed into large bags that now hold the sculpture’s parts. This ritual became a shared gesture honouring impermanence.

Our heartfelt thanks go to Jonas, Vincent, Isabel, Bas, and Younes, also participants from SEIN; to Myrthe, Oscar, and Daniëlle from SEIN for the wonderful collaboration; to Carien of @stitchstudiohaarlem for creating the beautiful bags; to Van der Kleij Textiles in Utrecht for donating the fabrics; to the Cultural Participation Fund (@fondsvoorcultuurparticipatie) for supporting this farewell project; and to the Mondriaan Fund (@mondriaanfonds) for making the original sculpture possible.

SEIN is the Dutch centre of expertise for epilepsy and sleep medicine. The activities of the Kunstfort are made possible in part by the municipality of Haarlemmermeer and the Mondriaan Fund.