HOUSE OF BELONGING
TITIA EX
During I Light U, the façade of a historic 1912 building on the Van Sijpesteijnkade transforms into a stunning canvas for the projection House of Belonging. This small monumental structure, surrounded by modern architecture, serves as an anchor point in an ever-changing urban landscape.
Audiotour
House of Belonging: a light projection about connection
You may have seen a light ring or corona like this during a solar eclipse. It’s a striking and intense contrast between light and darkness, stillness and energy. It’s no wonder that humanity has been fascinated by this recurring natural phenomenon for centuries.
During an eclipse, it feels as though the world’s pause button has been pressed: birds stop singing, the wind calms. What power does the universe exert on us in that moment? Is it the end of times, or the beginning of something new? Whatever happens, there is always something to hold onto. Just like this monument stands firm in the shifting urban landscape, offering a safe haven where we can still feel at home.
Interestingly, the technique light artist Ex uses for this projection is not digital but analog: she uses a gobo, a type of slide, to block portions of the light source. For anyone who works with light, the eclipse is particularly captivating. It is the only moment when the sun’s corona can be observed so clearly with the naked eye, without being blinded.
Titia Ex
Titia Ex is a visual artist who uses light and darkness to bring public spaces to life. Through her dynamic, interactive light installations, she invites audiences to experience urban environments in entirely new ways.
Ex studied film and photography at the Rijksakademie in Amsterdam and the Musashino Art University in Tokyo. Her artistic career began in theater as a choreographer, where she explored the intriguing connection between light, time, and space.
In her work, she blurs the boundaries between art, technology, and ecology. Using light as her medium, Titia Ex creates artworks that not only inspire wonder but also add a new dimension to the city.
ALIVE through the eyes of the artist
With House of Belonging, I aim to explore the theme Alive by portraying the ongoing transformation of both the building and humanity. The projection of a dynamic corona – a dark center surrounded by radiant light – symbolizes the balance between opposites such as light and darkness, stillness and energy.
These rhythms of life, from day and night to breathing, reflect our constant motion and emphasize how, as living, changing beings, we remain forever connected to the greater whole. House of Belonging is a visual tribute to the beauty of transformation and connection.
