A merry-go-round on water.

Six metres tall, freestanding, illuminated and spinning. Buckets fill with water, are lifted upwards and thrown outward through centrifugal force. Water flies in all directions while the structure glows from within, illuminating both the object and the moving water around it.

Merry-Go-Round Europe was created for the Amsterdam Light Festival under the theme of Europe. The installation uses the merry-go-round as a metaphor: a machine that briefly lifts people out of everyday life, spins them around, and places them back into reality with a renewed perspective.

The project was conceived as a playful celebration of Europe: movement, exchange, instability, diversity and collective experience. The circular motion continuously redistributes water, light and energy, transforming the installation into both spectacle and symbol.

Little did we anticipate that this message would become even more relevant a decade later.

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