The Commanderij College in Gemert asked me to design something for their new building. I wanted to visualise the students’ world, secondary school students finding their way in this uncertain time in their lives. One part of the building resembles a circus tent while the other part is more traditional. Where the two wings meet I designed ‘Balans’ (‘Balance’): two large tightrope walker’s legs in yellow ochre, crossing the corridor on a cable, high above the students. A poem by Frans Hoppenbrouwers is applied in the same yellow ochre colour on the ground below the legs. Frans wrote the following lines based on my design:

Blijf op eigen benen staan,
herstel het evenwicht.
Verzeker je van licht
en lef om door te gaan.
(Stay on your own two legs,
restore the balance.
Ensure you have the light
and courage to proceed.)

This object represents my playful interpretation of the corridor: funny, yet serious. A Dutch teacher may use the poem to explore the object’s deeper meaning. My goal was to challenge teenagers to take more notice of the things around them, in a more conscious way. That’s what makes life more interesting and ultimately more beautiful.