Karin Daan is urban design artist. She won the competition for the design of the Homomonument. 

One of the finest challenges for me. Because I am gay myself and because I’m fascinated by squares and parks; spaces that belong to all of us.

The three triangles refer to past, present and future. The triangle which lies in the pavement refers to the past and points to the Anne Frank House. The poetic line ’Such an immense craving for friendship’ is about the love that is called friendship. In the past it couldn’t be called by its name. The line is from a poem by Jacob Israël de Haan, a Jewish homosexual poet from Amsterdam.

The second triangle is the watersidetriangle. The most beautiful one, where you can sit pleasantly at the waterside. It points at the national monument on Dam square.

The high triangle points at the COC-building. That is the future. This stage is used as a platform for action and a place, where we come together, triumphantly or militantly. The line in the pavement connects the triangles into one big triangle.

The Homomonument is with its 3 triangles sewed into the place. Nothing has been taken away, only something was added. It is a big work, but because it has three parts, that are mostly horizontal, it is also very modest. This ambiguity, I find that really beautiful.