Japanese artist constructs rooftop terrace on Amsterdam's Oude Kerk

Celebrated Japanese artist Taturo Atzu has transformed the roof of Amsterdam's oldest building - Oude Kerk - into a summery rooftop terrace. From this terrace visitors will get a unique vista of the Red Light District and be able to view the normally hidden architectural beauty of the Oude Kerk's rooftop. This temporary platform, called The Garden Which is the Nearest to God, will be open to visitors until September 26th, the Oude Kerk announced in a press release last week. It is accessible via a scaffolding construction outside the church. Not only will visitors be given an unprecedented view of the old city streets, but they will for the first time also be able to view the Oude Kerk's two magnificent spires from up close.

"It is an experience which questions the contemporary significance of the monument and lays bare tensions between public and private space." according to the press release. The OUde Kerk has also organized a program on the roof that is open to the public of all ages called "conversation with the city". This program, which was organized in cooperation with Non-Fiction, an agency for cultural innovation, will offer new insights into current social themes. There will also be radio broadcasts fro the terrace. Taturo Atzu, also known under other aliases including Tatzu Nishi, Tazu Rous and Tatsurou Bashi, is best known for works that transform public monuments and evoke the intimacy of living spaces. He has done similar projects in Signapore and New York.