After a year of uncertainty and staying indoors, at a time when festival season would normally erupt in all its diversity, creativity and optimism, a temporary beacon of hope grows and flourishes at District West in Amsterdam. An eye-catching temporary monument, it is a co-creation between VVEM & WINK, District West, Brok Décor International, SOLID , De Loods, ID&T, Q-dance and many others. Wink created the concept and took care of the overall project management and content as well as the different event distributors. Backbone was given the responsibility of technical production. It took months to prepare for this project.
It is a 30-meter-high symbol of hope for the whole event industry. An optimistic image, a heart under the belt from and for the mostly invisible Dutch festival builders, the makers of the magic we so dearly miss. An expression of hope for the days to come; a day when we can play outside freely, celebrate life, connect with each other and let ourselves be transported and amazed by the music and the moment. Hope gives life.
The Tree of Hope was created by the unsung heroes of the Dutch festival industry. Makers, inventors, crew and creatives, normally behind-the-scenes, spent four months designing and building this unique beacon of hope. Not only to be able to do what they do best, but also to bring hope and inspiration to anyone who has had a difficult time in the past year. Each bird-of-paradise in the tree represents a different organisation or maker, flying around the festival industry. Together they represent the event industry in which the Netherlands plays Champions League on a global level.
The impact that COVID-19 has had on the event industry is tremendous. We find it very important to stay positive, support each other as much as we can and keep our heads turned towards the sun. “This project fits well with Backbone because it consists of all the segments we normally cover in the event industry. We are a team of fantastic people who help realise productions. In one sentence, we are the cement of every event. The green side to this project is that all the material is reusable. Nothing is sent to a landfill but reused or re-rented. Backbone, and the global event industry, is incredibly flexible. We noticed that everyone was keen to work on this project. This resulted in an amazing and positive vibe during the build up.” According to Remco Hendriks, Production Manager Technical Producer at Backbone International.
Photo credits: Bart Heemskerk