The Character of the Unexpected in Poetry of Stains

Poetry of Stains  is Onno Poiesz’s art project for Dutch Railways (NS). From the everyday marks you might encounter on a train – a coffee stain, for instance – he created bronze door handles for double-decker trains. Unfortunately, the bronze turned out to be rather theft-prone, so NS had them removed. Onno was later commissioned to recast the handles into a new artwork. This piece – on view from 2026 in Amsterdam’s IJ Passage – will be shown by Onno during Dutch Design Week at Make’s exhibition REMEMBER | RETAKE.

Written by Pleuni van Keulen

Bronze Rorschach Stain
Not many artists get the chance to recycle their own work into something new. Onno explains: “In surveys conducted by NS, passengers indicated that art contributes to their travel experience. It’s wonderful that NS now wants to return my art to the public – this time in the IJ Passage in Amsterdam. The new project still carries the same name: Poetry of Stains. I chose the design of one of the five door push plates and enlarged it into a kind of Rorschach stain.” Onno cast this ‘stain’ at Make into large, separate bronze elements that together form a wall panel measuring 3 by 3 metres.

article continues below images

Space for Experimentation
Onno reflects on how working at Make supported his process: “If I had taken this idea to a traditional bronze foundry, it wouldn’t have become what it is now. There’s usually little room for experimentation or learning moments. You sketch, you draw, you make the original, and that’s it. At Make, I was able to work on my own moulds using various techniques. When something went wrong, I could respond immediately – adjusting colours, finishes, or even questioning whether something worked at all.”

The Life of the Cast
At Make, there’s no such thing as a mistake. Onno too recognises the beauty of the unexpected: “Some works need to be very precise, but sometimes imperfections actually add character to an artwork. I love preserving everything that emerges from the process. Seeing the ‘life’ of the casting reflected in my work – it’s precisely those unexpected elements that make the art work.”

Curious to see this remake of Poetry of Stains? Visit Make during Dutch Design Week, from 18 to 26 October.