Windesheim's campus in Zwolle is a meeting place for students and employees. Over the past year, the college has renewed and greened its outdoor space. This was a radical process; one of the steps to be taken was to make the courtyard car-free, creating a large and safe residential area in the middle of the campus. The subsequent generous and green space was intended as a place to stay and was only accessible to pedestrians. Windesheim soon expressed the desire that, parallel to these large-scale modifications, a new work of art should be created on campus. They engaged Mothership from Rotterdam to guide them in this process. The final commission went to Yasser Ballemans.
Mothership first compiled a long list of artists. Some students, staff and administrators formed a committee with each other and chose three artists from the long list to create and present a sketch design. Yasser Ballemans was one of the three. Mothership had already done a lot of preparatory work, says Ballemans. They had conducted interviews with students and staff from which it appeared that the new work of art had to symbolize curiosity as well as the function of a meeting place, and that importance was attached to cooperation. Ballemans had been guided in his design by the mission of the college: learning, developing and innovating together through practice-oriented research and education. A way of working that fits well with his art practice.

Together with students he had gone to the river IJssel, and there they had taken samples of the water. The samples were taken back to school, a biologist explained them, and the students were able to look through a microscope at the organisms fished up, at their structures, colors and shapes. Ballemans then showed drawings by the German zoologist Ernst Haeckel (1834-1919), a pioneer of biological illustration who spent his working life exploring and recording the versatility and diversity of life on Earth. His work, which clearly shows the complexity of nature as well as its beauty, contributed to both science and art. His drawings of microorganisms, plants and animals are detailed and aesthetic. To this day, the illustrations are appreciated and admired.

With his work, Ballemans also combines the fields of engineering, science and art. He gave the students a 3D pen and asked them to draw the microorganisms from the IJssel River, inspired by Haeckel's work. On the basis of these drawings, Ballemans designed nine objects that together represent the MicroKosmos of the campus. He values participation during his design process; after all, the students and staff have knowledge of the site that he does not. Working closely with them only benefits the final artwork, is his experience.

The objects are made of recycled Pet-G plastic, which can be a fragile material. In particular, transparent plastic, which is what Ballemans wanted to use, can yellow under UV light and therefore lose strength. In addition, he wanted to 3D-print the objects, but there is not yet much experience with this for outdoor spaces. This is why he - together with the Faculty of Industrial Engineering at Hasselt University - conducted materials research. Windesheim's Plastic Technology lectorate was also involved.

In Hasselt, the material was subjected to an aging process that caused it to make a time travel of some thirty years. The results of the research were submitted to the lectorate and - fortunately - approved by them. Then it was up to Colossus Printers to actually print the objects, no easy task.

Mothership was both the external consultant and the producer. They produced Ballemans' work and supervised its execution. This was pleasant for Ballemans, partly because of the shared responsibility. The objects have been in place since the end of October. Around the works it is still muddy, the grass has to start growing and for that it has to be spring. Then the work can really get a function as a place for meeting on campus. Perhaps the students will pose there with their diplomas.

In addition to a meeting place on campus, is MicroKosmos also one of the artworks along Zwolle's Engelenpad, a walking path that starts in the center at the statue of Archangel Michael, created by Herman Lamers, and leads through the Spoorzone to Windesheim. According to plans, more iconic works of art will eventually be added along this path.
(photos from MicroKosmos by Teun van Hecke)
Involved in this project: Raimond Hutten and Albert ten Busschen of Windesheim, Municipality of Zwolle, Jeroen Everaert of Mothership, LMRNI (translation to digital design), Colossus Printers (printing of the sculptures), Wilwy BV (steel structures), Pieter Pollemans (construction calculation), Lichtpunt (lighting plan), Petra van Zon and Vincent van Zon (project management), René van Wezel and Adrienne Mertens (biologists with knowledge about diatoms), Hydrobiological Consultancy Klink (photos of diatoms).
Art committee: Dirk Pieter Halbesma, Astrid Metselaar, Lieke Koot, Hugo Toonen, Jeroen Kramers, with guidance from Mothership.
Sounding board group: Hugo Toonen (student), Lin de Jong, Suzan Huijbers, Remco Boter, Noortje Vegter, Marita Coppes, Simen Knol (student), Anton von Wenzlawowicz (student)
30% discount on BK information
Now take a subscription to BK information and receive the professional visual arts magazine in your mailbox eight times a year (plus unlimited access to the website).