On Monday, February 1st at 18:00, the first messages of love and hope appeared on the iconic Tinbergen Building. Erasmus University Rotterdam's Woudestein Campus is one of the locations of the light festival Rotterdam Verlicht! Until February 14th (Valentine's Day), the texts, submitted mainly by students, can be seen every evening from 18:00 to 23:00 hrs.
The goal of Rotterdam Verlicht! is to literally and figuratively 'enlighten' the city in these dark times. Now that the lockdown is going to last longer, Rotterdammers can use textual light projections for Valentine's Day to give each other a boost and spread hope. Messages that you can't deliver in person now but, as soon as it gets dark, can be seen brightly lit up every evening.
Enlightenment in dark times
Eighteen locations in Rotterdam are already participating, from the Laurenskerk and Noordplein to Poorten van Zuid and the Euromast. And now also Erasmus University Rotterdam with campus Woudestein. The submitted messages on Tinbergen Building are interspersed with quotes from Desiderius Erasmus. It is the first edition of the light festival. The intention is for Rotterdam Verlicht! to return annually.