Initiated by the Stichting Herstel Hildebrand Monument (Foundation for the restoration of the Hildebrand Monument) the monument by sculptor Jan Bronner was reconstructed to it’s former glory. The monument consists of a group of statues around a fountain, representing the persona from the book camera Obscura by Hildebrand, an alias of the writer Nicolaas Beets. On the axis of the group of statues a statue of Hildebrand himself is placed.
Floriaan Ganzevoort made a light design for the monument that makes visible the statues as well as its surroundings. The monument is situated in one of the darkest parts of the Haarlemmer Hout park and, in order to not disturb nature too much, the lighting switches over from white to amber at around eleven in the evening. Amber light is known to be less disturbing for birds and bats.
The project was nominated for the Lieven de Key medal of honour. On their website the general public can vote for their favourite public project. The jury wrote: “Together with the special lighting, the group of statues of Camera Obscura is a gem at night.’ – source: Haarlems Dagblad