The Walk of Wonder is a meandering walking route connecting the grounds of Radboud University and Radboudumc. The artworks you encounter appeal to all the senses and are inspired by conversations with users of the campus, including researchers, volunteers and students.
Two new artworks placed on Walk of Wonder
Two new artworks of the Walk of Wonder were completed in early April. A ceramic sculpture group by artist Sissel Marie Tonn can be found on the lawn in front of the Maria Montessori building. On the Radboudumc side, an illustration by Ralph Zabel adorns the facade of building K. The art route on our campus - a walking route of about two kilometres - will soon have a total of seven artworks. You can already see and experience five of them now!
Strange Kinship
On Wednesday 9 April, Sissel Marie Tonn's work Strange Kinship was placed by the wadi on the lawn in front of the Maria Montessori building: a cluster of ceramic horseshoe crabs exploring the themes of connection and resilience. The work offers a powerful image of the more-than-human world, a concept that refers to the interwoven relationship between humans and non-human life forms - and how we can experience that connectedness.
Have you ever had an injection? Then you owe it to this horseshoe crab, an ancient relative, a creature that has been braving the tides for 450 million years. The blue blood of these animals, which detects bacterial infection, is invaluable for modern medicine. Without realising it, we rely on the survival skills of these prehistoric creatures. While lying in a hospital bed, connected to an IV, your recovery is inextricably linked to the existence of an animal older than the dinosaurs. The horseshoe crab plays a crucial role in the medical world, but our dependence on its blood now poses a serious threat to its survival as well as that of the coastal ecosystems of which it is a part.
An essential part of Strange Kinship is a triptych of sound works - yet to be developed -: a narrative, a ritual guide and a meditation. These invite reflection on the central theme of the artwork: our capacity for empathy. The sound works offer an opportunity to become acquainted with the perception of horseshoe crabs and experience a sense of kinship, connection and comfort. They can be listened to both on location - together with the horseshoe crabs - and in other places, such as on campus, in a hospital bed or at home.
Facade artwork Ralph Zabel
The artwork First Flight by artist and illustrator Ralph Zabel has been hanging on the facade of building K at Radboudumc since Tuesday 8 April. Ralph Zabel was inspired by the theme of 'mirroring' and conversations with students about freedom and unfreedom. The illustration also refers to the world of patients, such as the little patients in the nearby Amalia Children's Hospital who face unfreedom due to illness. The artwork also mirrors Nijmegen's surroundings; the Waal bridge and some of the city's iconic buildings can be recognised. The artwork hopefully 'opens a little door', a reference to the power everyone has within them to free themselves. Even if only in dreams.
Experiencing with all the senses
The artworks of the Walk of Wonder appeal to all the senses: you can look, touch, stroke, hear or smell them. They are located high in the sky, like the façade illustration, or low to the ground, for instance along a scented forest path. The works can be large and colourful, or subtle. There is often an interactive element. The Walk of Wonder is meant to excite, provoke thought, inspire and delight.
There will be a total of seven artworks on the walk route. Other works you can experience are: Labyrinth Unheard, an audio installation with a composition by William Barrett and Mark Opfer, inspired by the 'carrying' function of supporting medical staff, Springiness by Birthe Leemeijer, a land art in the forest near the Student Church about 'healing', and Tangan Terbuka by Amara van der Elst, an audio installation with spoken word based on conversations with volunteers. Spes Publica by Studio Toer (researchers, kinetic light art) and The Smell of Suffering by Omer Polak (local residents, scent sculpture) will follow later this year. The completion of the artworks was initially scheduled for 2023/2024. Due to the time taken by compulsory environmental permits, as well as an (awarded) grant application to the Mondriaan Fund for Strange Kinship and Spes Publica, the route will be completed in 2025.
Enjoying art and nature
The Walk of Wonder fits seamlessly into the plans of Radboud University and Radboudumc. Radboud University's campus plan to create a lively, green and healthy campus, and Radboudumc's plan to fill in the site vacated by the demolition of old buildings as a landscape park. Patients, staff, visitors, students and local residents can enjoy green surroundings on campus and, thanks in part to the Walk of Wonder, art as well. You can walk the art route using the interactive map: radboudwandelingen.nl
Contact information
- Organizational unit
- Campus & Facilities
- Theme
- Art & Culture