Connection
The artwork will consist of 16 panels and will hang in the Vermeer Centrum Delft. What is special about the artwork is that the figures will not be pasted by Rene Jacobs himself, but by as many inhabitants of Delft as possible. This makes this project not only one of his most ambitious projects ever, but also one of his most inclusive works. Rene Jacobs wants to invite all Delft residents to stick their own puppet, from students to the unemployed, all faiths, all genders, all ages from all win corners of Delft. ‘In these times we sometimes lose connection with each other and that is what I would like to bring back with this artwork. We need each other. And together we make the city.’
Oldest resident of Delft pastes first puppet
On Friday 16 May, Ms Mies Warffemius, at the respectable age of 106 and the oldest resident of Delft, placed the very first puppet in the monumental artwork. Mies, assisted by René Jacobs, placed the first puppet on one of the 16 panels. For Mies, who knows the original Gezicht op Delft all too well through a replica in her room at the Bieslandhof, the puppet bore a striking resemblance to herself.
And so, according to artist Rene Jacobs, there are still 110,850 dolls to go before the artwork is complete.
Tribute to Delft and its inhabitants
The final 210 x 253 cm work is a tribute to both the painter Vermeer and the city's inhabitants. It shows that art is a language that everyone speaks. Rene Jacobs sees his project as a platform for connection and empathy. And as a way of working together.
Stick your own puppet!
At several moments and locations over the next few months, you can stop by and stick your own puppet on the artwork. Those dolls are 4 cm in size. They will be hand-coloured and placed in such a way that they eventually make up Johannes Vermeer's work ‘View of Delft’.
We will keep you informed about the dates and locations where you can join the pasting via our Facebook and Instagram account. The Instagram account 'Wij zijn Delft' will keep you up to date on the making of the artwork.
