Observatorium (artist collective)

The Observatorium is a Dutch artist collective based in Rotterdam and specialized in conceptual art, environmental art and architecture. It was founded by the Geert van de Camp (sculptors and installation artist), André Dekker (conceptual artist) and Ruud Reutelingsperger (painter), and in the late 2000s the interior architect Lieven Poutsma joint the group. They regularly work together with specialists and other stakeholders on a project basis.

History
In the mid-1990s, the founders of Observatorium started jointly designing residential structures, abstract spaces in which artists and other interested parties were invited to briefly observe and reflect. The first spaces were realized in galleries in Düsseldorf (1994), Groningen (1995), Rotterdam (1995) and The Hague, 1996.

In 1997, the first outdoor residential structure was realized on New York 's Staten Island. The abstract structure was based on specific dimensions by the architect Hans van der Laan. This structure was resurrected a year later, in 1998, in the middle of a meadow in the Hoeksche Waard.

From the beginning of the new millennium, the Observatorium has also designed permanent sculptures in public space, such as the Nieuw-Terbregge Observatory in 2001 and the Zandwacht on Maasvlakte 2 in 2015. The collective is also involved in studies, competitions, lectures and other publications. They received various awards, including nominations for the Dutch Design Award in 2009 and 2011.

Publications, a selection

 * Andre Dekker, Observatory, Geert van de Camp, Big Pieces of Time, 2010.
 * Observatory. The Green Shadow, 2016.
 * Observatory. Zollverein: Park - Dust, Silent Spectacle. 2017
 * :Geert van de Camp, Andre Dekker, Lieven Poutsma, Ruud Reutelingsperger. Public Art for Public Life. Learnings from Observatorium. Rotterdam: nai010, 2022