If you were in Leiden last night, you probably have a sore neck today. Why? Because the city’s residents spent their Sunday night looking up at the stars.
At exactly 10 PM, residents, restaurants, and lamposts alike switched off their lights in order to temporarily submerge part of the city in darkness. The goal: give Leideners a very rare opportunity to see the stars.
Seeing Stars is the latest of Studio Roosegarde’s many creative projects — and we were lucky enough to interview the founder, Daan Roosegaarde, at Leiden’s beautiful observatory.
READ MORE | Seeing stars: a Studio Roosegaarde and UNESCO Netherlands project
The night was full of good vibes, great speeches, lectures, the occasional drop of rain (of course), and stars. Standing in front of the observatory with Roosegaarde, we were given insight into his vision before the lights went out.
What is Seeing Stars about?
Seeing Stars is about reconnecting with simplicity in a time of chaos, and Roosegaarde puts this into words perfectly.
“It’s so beautiful to remove and reveal, in a time of social isolation, and energy crises, to collectively switch off the lights and bring this million-year-old light back.”
READ MORE | This innovative ‘Urban Sun’ could make public gatherings coronavirus-free
“Especially in a time like this when the future can feel scary, and you feel disconnected, the stars can connect us. So I thought, what if we could switch off the lights and bring back the stars?”
Roosegaarde and his team want to show the beauty of doing less, in a time of burnouts, heatwaves, and life after lockdown. So what’s his key message?
READ MORE | Dutch artist creates biodegradable fireworks to spark social change
“We’ve been promised a time of abundance, more time energy and stuff, but now we wake up and there’s less and — we’re really mad about it, right? Seeing Stars shows us that by doing less we can actually reveal more, and I think that’s a really important message.”
“Why Leiden?”
As a magazine that’s based in the gorgeous city of Leiden, we wanted to hear why Roosegaarde chose Leiden as his next Dutch city to turn out the lights.
From the outset, it was clear that he was grateful for all the effort the city had made to realise his vision.
READ MORE | Dutch designer launches initiative to turn Space Waste into something useful
“I could never have imagined being here six months ago, and it’s so beautiful to see the city of Leiden embrace it, feed it, and make it happen,” he tells us.
“Leiden is a city with the courage to invest in new ideas, and Leiden said yes to this crazy beautiful one. It’s really emotional for me to see people adopt the idea.”
“What message do you have for internationals in the Netherlands?”
Roosegaarde has become a bit of an international figure himself, having exhibited his work from London to Tokyo — so what does he have to say to the international community in the Netherlands?
“Creativity is our true capital, we live below sea level, so without creativity, we would die a horrible death. It’s embedded within the DNA of the country to be open, and innovative, to collaborate and communicate. And we can feel, that, and I love that part of the Netherlands.”
“What’s next for Studio Roosegaarde?”
“A device that sucks up the clouds,” Roosegaarde jokes. While the clouds did threaten to completely mask the stars, they still managed to peek through — and we have a feeling he might have more on his mind.
Known for his creations such as a coronavirus-killing street light, lights that help crops grow, biodegradable fireworks and many more innovative actions, we expect big things to come from Roosegaarde.
However, we’re also thankful for being reminded of the bigger picture last night, as we’re sure many Leiden residents are too. ✨
What do you think of Roosegarde’s initiative? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!