Evening in Atlantis - Lars Ickenroth

This impressive mural was created by Lars Ickenroth. The artist was inspired by the piece of music ‘Evening in Atlantis’ by pianist Esbjörn Svensson, and the work depicts the sensation of being underwater in summer. The ‘sea lion’ in the mural is inspired by Lelystad’s coat of arms.

Evening in Atlantis

The diver takes centre stage, with his heavy helmet under his arm and his gaze fixed on the last light of evening.
It is unclear: is he preparing to descend, does adventure still lie beneath the surface, or has he just returned safely?
Beside him: the heraldic sea lion that recurs in the symbolism of Lelystad and Flevoland — companion and guide, but also a predator with a will of its own.
Fragments of a compass allude to navigation, adventure and the search for direction.

That ambiguity touches on Lelystad itself: a young city, entirely man-made, built on reclaimed seabed,
yet still searching for its own identity and character. ‘Evening in Atlantis’ is a piano composition by Esbjörn Svensson.
The piece evokes the feeling of watching the last rays of the sun from just below the water’s surface: hopeful, content, yet also melancholic.
Are we at the start of a new adventure, ready to face the unknown and return with greater character?
Or has he taken his final dive? The work deliberately leaves that question open — somewhere between land and water, departure and return, in the evening light of Atlantis.