Since the late 1980s, together with my collaborator Egon Pieko, I have been fascinated by the raw energy of live music and the ways in which visual projection can transform a performance into a shared sensory experience. During the BABYDAY era at Willemsplein 1 in Arnhem—later known as Willemeen—we developed a visual language built from analogue tools: Super 8 film loops, handmade slides, colored foils, glue, ink, and the unpredictable magic of early copy‑shop technology.
These materials were never neutral. They carried the texture of the city, the imperfections of the machines, and the spontaneity of hands-on experimentation. Our live projection environments responded to the music in real time—fluid, improvised, and deeply physical. The visuals were not backgrounds; they were living elements within the performance.
For the 42-year anniversary of pop music at this historic venue, we returned to this spirit of experimentation. Over the course of March and April, I created a five-hour sequence of associative video works—seven pieces designed for live VJ performance. Although digital tools have replaced the projectors and film reels of the past, the underlying approach remains the same: layering, distortion, rhythm, and the search for imagery that resonates with sound.
My practice is rooted in the belief that visual art can amplify the emotional architecture of music. Whether analogue or digital, my work continues to explore how images can move, breathe, and collide—creating moments that exist only in the present, yet echo long after the lights fade.
Below is an impression. Photos by Bernard Vink:
