Big Funnelman, Polyester sculpture near Breda junction, Netherlands.
Big Funnelman is a red polyester sculpture near Breda junction that depicts a human figure lying on its back with a large orange funnel protruding from its mouth. The roughly 10-meter-tall artwork stands beside the A27 highway and was created by the art collective Atelier Van Lieshout.
The work was created in 2004 as a commissioned piece for the highway junction area and was conceived by the Rotterdam-based art collective. It represents a turning point in placing contemporary art directly within transportation zones where it reaches millions of travelers daily.
The figure embodies the collective's characteristic style, which merges human forms with everyday objects to create thought-provoking public works. Visitors experience the unexpected pairing as a playful challenge to how we typically perceive both sculpture and familiar household items.
The work is easily visible from the A27 highway and serves drivers as a prominent landmark in the region. Pedestrians can view it from nearby rest areas or from certain paths along the road, with the best vantage point from the north.
The orange tube appears to shoot straight from the artwork's mouth as if it has been spouting water or some other substance for generations. This absurd image of a giant figure in complete repose while seemingly expelling something makes the work memorable to anyone passing by.
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