ArtEZ students bring light and meaning to the Ossenmarktsteeg in Zwolle

The Ossenmarktsteeg has been given a new look, partly thanks to ArtEZ students from the Graphic Design programme. In the passage between Luttekestraat and Ossenmarkt, light, text and space come together. A project that improves safety and invites people to pause.

Designing with light

The project began with a desire to make the dark alley safer and more inviting for passersby. The Municipality of Zwolle invited residents to submit short, powerful texts. More than 400 entries were received, from which a jury selected seven texts. These became the starting point for the light design in the alley.

ArtEZ alumni Pieter Brouwer, Bram Nijmeijer and Miranda Blaak guided students in developing the initial design concepts. Using the words of Zwolle residents as a foundation, the alley has been transformed into a place where language becomes visible.

You can now read these texts in Zwolle:

If you’ve lost your way, come be lost with me for a while.
Your best friends were once strangers.
Take in less, absorb more.
There is always a later.
Those who dare to be small are capable of great things.
What you create today shapes the future you want to reach.
Together, we make it lighter.