Amersfoort’s “pissing polar bear” statue has to stop peeing at night due to noise complaints

People peeing in the canal when drunk is something you might have the unfortunate luck of seeing in the Netherlands, but hearing an art piece pissing throughout the night has residents calling to hold the pee.

An art sculpture of a polar bear has been keeping residents in Amersfoort awake during the night with its constant… trickling into the canal, reports NOS.

Well, no more. The polar bear statue is being potty trained and will now have to hold his pee from midnight to 7 AM.

Who pissed in your cornflakes?

The artwork by Florentijn Hofman, also known for his giant rubber ducks, is called the ‘Pissing Polar Bear’.

The large statue of a polar bear, which can be seen from July 8 to November 19, urinates into the canal in Amersfoort every few minutes — even during the night.

While we all understand the pain of needing to piddle at night, these residents had enough.

“Residents woke up at night from all the peeing,” museum director Paul Baltusto explains to RTV Utrecht.

@dutchreview This polar bear is feeling pretty pissed off. #Netherlands #Amersfoort #ArtInstallation #ClimateChange ♬ Say So (Instrumental Version) [Originally Performed by Doja Cat] – Elliot Van Coup

A stream of pissed residents

Imagine hearing water splashing into a canal throughout the night. Not only would it keep you up, but it would also make you need to pee when you’re cosy in bed.

Understandably, local residents have complained about the noise.

“It was the idea that the polar bear pees ‘uncontrolled’. In other words, we would not necessarily influence it. But now that local residents have indicated that it keeps them awake at night, we thought: let’s change it,” says Baltus.

READ MORE | The perfect daytrip: 4 things to do in Amersfoort

That means that residents will get a break from the incessant peeing for seven hours while they sleep, but they’ll still have to hear it throughout the day.

What’s this polar bear all about?

The artwork is a part of the ‘Art and Zoo’ exhibit at the Museum Flehite. Hofman’s polar bear represents the current state of nature.

“[It’s] about melting ice caps, a nature that suffers, the habitat of polar bears, which is getting smaller and smaller,” says the director.

“This polar bear has chosen to show his displeasure. That’s why he pees so hard in our canal. Just as harshly as we sometimes treat nature.”

Have you seen the ‘Pissing Polar Bear’? Tell us about it in the comments!

Feature Image:DutchReview
Simone Jacobs
Simone Jacobs
Originally from South Africa, Simone is having fun navigating the Dutch language, steep stairs, and bicycles (which she still manages to fall off of with her short, non-Dutch legs). An animal lover at heart, Simone can typically be found under her (growing?) mound of cats, where she uses the opportunity to read, write, and watch video compilations of creatures.

1 COMMENT

  1. “Does a Bear pee in a Canal ?” New Dutch Sarcasm
    “Does a Bear, S–t in the woods ?” Old American Sarcasm

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