Our Light

the Bergen

One of Eindhoven’s oldest neighborhoods, de Bergen, naturally holds countless stories. From recent events involving new residents to memories of people who have lived in the area their entire lives, this district is rich in history. Our Light, a project by Machteld Aardse and Femke Kempkes, brings these stories to life, projecting them onto the façades of homes. For this, they collaborate with the residents of the two streets and with poet Merel Morre. Fragments from two of Merel’s poems are incorporated into the light artwork. As you walk by, you can see and read the images and words. In Our Light, you meet the residents who live and love behind the doors you pass every day.

Everything comes and goes; life is in constant motion. During GLOW, the residents, their stories, and their lives come together in a string of light art. These light images reflect the urban memory, symbolizing the essence of a place. What you witness is a cadence of memories.

Machteld and Femke worked closely with the community through a series of workshops. Residents brought cherished objects, photos, or copies to the sessions. Stories and memories surfaced, ranging from a train that once ran through the Kleine Berg to beautiful anecdotes. Machteld and Femke transformed these souvenirs into visual pieces, displayed one by one on 38 overhead projectors along Heilige Geeststraat and Prins Hendrikstraat.

Here within, I know it well

Here within, I am myself

– Merel Morre, from the collection Zie Binnenzijde 2024