Middenweg 39-I
1098 AC Amsterdam
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+31 204869019
mail: roel@xelor.nl
skype: xelorolex
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Social
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Film Distribution
Eye Film
Production Company
Nexus Productions
This website is designed by
Roel Wouters & Jonas Lund
This website is coded by
Jonas Lund
Trained as graphic designer, Roel works as an independent conditional designer / director in the field of interaction, media design and film.
His work often reflects on the systems or technology we use in our daily lives. Sometimes by deconstructing or changing fundamental parts of existing systems, sometimes by designing new ones to see what happens when people are using them. He applies this approach to all kinds of media: dynamic media (web, tools, animation and video) but also to print, installations and performances.
Together with Luna Maurer, Jonathan Puckey and Edo Paulus he has authored the Conditional Design Manifesto, a manifesto that promotes the idea of designing conditions rather than end results.
For the past few years he has been teaching interactive and graphic design courses at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy, the Sandberg Institute, Yale University School of Art and the Piet Zwart Institute. His work has been exhibited and screened all over the world e.g. at the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, Museum fur Gestaltung Zurich, Britsh Film Institute, Sundance Film Festival. Roel likes to collaborate. Roel won several national, and international awards.
Download a text about Roel Wouters by Bart Rutten here. (NL)
From january 2012 on Roel will continue working together with Luna Maurer and Jonathan Puckey as a collective under the name MONIKER. The website will be studiomoniker.com
(now under construction).
Title sequence for children television series "Doctor Cheezy" by VPRO / Pupkin.
The type animation is a feedback loop. A camera is filming a screen that is showing the output of the camera.
Photography Sal Kroonenberg
Series directed by Margien Rogaar
Thanks to Cam-a-Lot
Flickr Photo set
YouTube link
Video feedback explained
Flitser.org is a social photography toy commissioned by NIMk for the 5 Days Off Festival
Amsterdam, NL, 2011.
Basically its an homage to the ultimate amateur photo - a self portrait in the mirror with the flashlight switched on. We build an iPhone 4 app that collects these photos and puts them in specific order to generate animations.
Once you have installed the app on yor iPhone you can browse the Flitser collection by swiping with your finger over the screen or create an animation by tossing the flash with your finger. Take part in building the Flitser collection by contributing your own flash photo. All you need to do is take a photo of yourself in the mirror, with the flash of your iPhone inside the target location that we provide you.
Download the iPhone 4 app at iTunes
Link to flitser.org
Link to Flickr photot set
In collaboration with Jonathan Puckey
App coding: Dirk van Oosterbosch
Thank you!
Annette Wolfsberger
Jan Hiddink
Hans Lenz
Frank Huffner
Collaborative installation at Flux/S in Eindhoven, NL
Conditional Design, 9-12 Sept 2010.
The 1200 m² on the 4th floor of the SBP-building acted as the surface of our playing field. The Court-Line™ Tape Machine served as our pen. Visitors received round stickers. Together with the visitors we generated the circular pattern on the floor during the four days of the festival. We and the visitors were bound to certain rules.
Your Instructions (visitors)
Make a snake.
1. Take a sticker.
2. Place your sticker at the end of the snake on the blue circle line.
3. On a junction, choose the path that has the best prospectus.
Pssst! The snake may not eat its own tail.
Our Instructions
Provide a path for the snake.
1. Draw the biggest possible circle
2. Use green tape to mark the center of the circles.
3. Each new circle should touch the former circle but may not include the center point of another circle.
We were fascinated by the abstract beauty of lines on the gym floor. Usually these lines define the boundaries of the playing field. We designed a game that creates its boundaries through playing.
The visitors were invited to play with us but they had an absolute minimum amount of freedom. They had to make a snake with stickers as long as possible. Only a few of them were able to change the direction of the snake: once they encountered a junction. Sometimes one was responsible for the crucial decision that could have ended it. Most of the visitors were only able to feed the snake.
In collaboration with Luna Maurer & Jonathan Puckey
With support of Fonds BKVB
Link to the documentation video
Link to the Flickr photo set
Link to Conditional Design
Link to Flux/S
Now Take a Bow is a crowd sourced film project to celebrate the 10 year anniversary of NPS KORT. Amsterdam, NL 2010
We developed a method for giving directing instructions over the web. Everybody who has a a webcam and feels like it can contribute. Here, here and here are 3 examples of how we give directing instructions but of course you can only know what we are talking about when you add a scene yourself.
KORT! is an initiative of NTR in collaboration with the The Netherlands Film Fund, the Dutch Cultural Media Fund, CoBoFonds for young screenwriters and filmmakers to make short films.
Download the 'Now, Take a Bow club mix' by Touki Delphine: NTAB.mp3
In collaboration with Jonathan Puckey
Crew
Ontwerp en regie
Jonathan Puckey & Roel Wouters
Producent
Vincent Lindeboom
Techniek
Jonathan Puckey
Martijn Pannevis
Camera
Sal Kroonenberg
Geluid
Jaap Hermans
Muziek
Rik Elstgeest
David Corel
Bo Koek
Voice-over
Roel Wouters
Instructeurs
Jonathan Puckey & Roel Wouters
Locatie
Wittenplaats.nl
Mogelijk gemaakt door Mediafonds, NTR
Met dank aan
Ingrid Walschots
Stefanie Hakkesteegt
Jan Schenk
Jürg Lehni
Luna Maurer
Lauren Grusenmeyer
Karst-Janneke Rogaar
Official Promo Video for Hot Chip's fantastic new single One Life Stand. London, UK, 2010
From the original treatment: "Hot Chip have created a machine that transforms a small room into a planet - a mini utopia. A small studio is converted into a space with the appearance of a planet by painting the walls, floor and ceiling A camera on the floor is shooting a movable silver sphere attached to the ceiling and the reflections that appear in it.", "The silver ball is hanging from the ceiling and can be lowered mechanically with a remote control.", "The sphere moves down and the floor camera zooms out simultaneously, capturing the transformation. Dolly zoom effect"
About half of the video is shot with a handycam by the bandmembers themselves. Since the set was completely closed from all sides it was hard to give them directions. Which allowed for unpredictable personal shots.
The video was presented in the British Film Institute during BUG.
Link to the YouTube video
Link to Flickr photo set
Link to Nexus Productions
An invitation for the program called Lost & Found.
From their webstite lost.nl'the editors of the Lost & Found programme compose evenings of audiovisual presentations at witch the audience puts in the extra zing'
Roel used the invitation to show the qualities of a lost (and found) reproduction technique named Stencil. The front depicts the ISO 12233 map for measuring resolution. on the back he tried to show the fantastic colouring qualities stencil can have. During the introduction of the evening a 20 min film of the stencil process was shown.
In 2010 we made this crowdsourced video for the Dutch formation C-Mon & Kypski. The project is still running visit oneframeoffame.com to add your frame.
Trough the democratization of media we see a change in the relationship between artists and their fans. The Internet has shifted the balance of power within the music industry. The gap between fan and artist is becoming smaller and smaller. Fans always expect to be kept informed of every detail in the life of the artist. Real fans want to be a direct reflection of their favorite artist. Nowadays a fan is able to put his or her version of a video in direct competition with the original. This new democratic order is often beneficial for both. In this project we thematise the diminished distance between fan and artist. We invite the fans to insert their version of video directyly in the original for the duration of one frame. The orginal and the copy become one.
How did we do it?
First we shot and edited a blueprint video. Then the thousands of frames are copied one by one by the fans, and eventually more than 40% of the frames of the original are replaced. Each fan gets served a frame which he or she has to imitate with the use of their webcam. Rendered back in the video we finally get a fluid body comprising out of thousands of fans.
Within this idea C-Mon & Kypski turn into a kind of puppet masters. In the video they discover that the fans are mimicing their poses. Although they never expected that they could control people, the lure of this power is too great not to play with. Eventually the balance of power shifts and the fans take over control.
The video won a Dutch Design Award and was nominated for a British Music Video Award.
Directed by
Roel Wouters & Jonathan Puckey
Producer
Vincent Lindeboom
Technical
Martijn Pannevis
Choreographer
Sabine Linz
Director of Photography
Sal Kroonenberg
Editor
Margien Rogaar
Costume Design
Niki Mens
Funded by TAXfonds
In collaboration with Jonathan Puckey
A video installation for an exhibition called PLAY4 at the Van Abbe Museum 2011.
The Idea of the exhibition was to confront visitors with the roles we all play when we visit a museum. The museum defined 3 roles which are randomly assigned to the visitor - The tourist, the Pilgrim and the Flaneur. In the installation the visitor is interviewed in his newly assigned role.
The roles as defined by the museum:
The Tourist
Looking for experience and contact with authenticity – the real lives and cultures of other people. Wants to see the complete exhibition, Really enjoys to see famous works in reality.
The Flaneur
Looking at people and the environment without an aim in mind. Everything (art, the building, the visitors) are material for observation. You could say there is a constant play created in real time in the mind of the flaneur out of what he/she sees.
The Pilgrim
Looking for transcendence according to an existing pattern. Is familiar with the oeuvre of an artist and wants to deepen this. 'Believes' in art and is looking for that belief to be strengthened. Going through a ritual.
Link to a Flickr photo set
Photography: Sal Kroonenberg
Running with the Beast is the new album of zZz. The titletrack video is also the making of the record sleeve. Bangkok, Thailand, 2008
The film features two artists who are trying to capture rage with 2 coloured roosters as living brushes.
A statement concerning animal welfare can be found here (.pdf)
A still of the film is used on the cover of the book film³ It's an interesting book about young dutch filmmakers including an interview with Roel. From the back cover: "...film³ documents the search their work emerges from, traces their motivations, their struggles and succeses."
Running with the Beast won an Early Birds Award at the first International Film Festival in Breda.
Link to the YouTube Video
Link to the Flickr Photo Set
Credits video
Cast: Bjorn Ottenheim, Daan Schinkel | Producer: Ivo de Jongh, Jack Kuiper | Executive Producer: Vargo Bawits | Director: Roel Wouters | Editing: Jurriaan van Nimwegen | Grading: Jack Kuiper | Director of Photography: Sal Kroonenberg | Concept: Roel Wouters | Line Producer: Apple Puttitanasuntorn | Production Manager: Sun Junpo | 1st AD: Pongdhorn Panichob | Art Director: Noppadol Arkart | Animal Handler: Santisak Dulayapitak | Focus Puller: Jeerasak Intasa | Clapper/Loader: Chanate Intarachub | VDO Man: Sittichoke Sangpatoom | Gaffer: Santi Luprasong | Head Electrician: Chuchat Konchom | Key Grips: Pichet Youngthito | Camera Equipment: Gear Head Co., Ltd. | Lighting & Grips Equipment: Cinerent (Thailand) Co., Ltd.
'Running with the Beast' is a Xelor & Goeroe media production commisioned by Excelsior Recordings & Epithaph, funded by TAX videoclipfund. © Goeroe media | 2008
Thanks to: Lindy Claassen, Luna Maurer, Jonathan Puckey, Karst-Janneke Rogaar, Beccy McCray (Nexus Productions)
Laptop Reflections is an installation developed for the exhibition INFODECODATA, at the Graphic Design Museum Breda, Feb - Aug 2010.
We created a tool that, whenever we were using our laptops, took our portraits via the webcam and screenshots of our desktops. This happened automatically every 5 minutes during one year.
The Laptop Reflections exhibition visualized this collection in different ways: an installation consisting of 5 videos, each lasting 3 hours 27 mins, a wall print, a newspaper and the website laptopreflections.org .
The images used span the period from 1 April to 16 December 2009.
I am being watched. The gaze comes through the laptop screen, focusing on what is happening on the other side. It sees a picture of a face being formed behind the screen. An open mouth, a laugh, eyes screwed up, sleepy, concentrating hard, irritation and anxiety, teeth, nostrils, bags under the eyes, wrinkles on the forehead, minimal differences in an unchanging gaze. I never look my best, like I really want to have my portrait done.
The screen sees me the whole time while I am looking at it, I am not embarrassed by it, it is neutral, invisible even, I don’t register its existence, it is just a glowing surface.
The screen is inextricably connected to my life. It is a door that I pull shut behind me, which gives me access to a space where I can disappear. It is my gateway to information, it is my space for communication, it is a space where I carry out my work and enjoy myself. I entered into this connection and I am addicted to it. I seek it out, at all times of the day. I am no longer surprised by this phenomenon, instead I invite it into my daily life. The screen travels with me to the most diverse locations in the world, it is opened and closed, once a day, ten times a day, or sometimes it stays on.
Even if the journey that takes place in my head while I sit and watch, read, write or research is an eventful one, I might actually be sitting there motionless for hours on end. The images analyse my individual codes of behaviour and my characteristics. It is not just my facial expression that is being observed, but also the context in which it occurs: how is my hair sitting today, how am I holding my body, which clothes am I wearing (again), which other people, friends, supporters, students are hiding behind my screen? In what surroundings have I opened my screen? And the gaze keeps storing the image – every five minutes – in its memory.
The gaze is not only directed at me, but also at what exactly I am doing onscreen. Am I emailing or on Skype, am I looking for distraction, do I change application frequently – or even do I swap between active windows frequently? Is it text, images, video or sound that accompanies me throughout the day? Does my portrait match what is happening onscreen? If I am watching a film, does my expression fit the images in the film? Are there big differences between the four of us?
We can only discover the patterns and details when the enormous number of images are arranged and displayed in an accessible manner.
We captured the images for a whole year, starting in January 2009. Every five minutes during the day a portrait was taken by the built-in webcam and a screenshot taken, whenever we were using our laptops. The gaze was inescapable. To an extent we got used to this gaze that we had turned upon ourselves. However we often felt we were on show and under observation. Sometimes we were followed by the feeling of being watched at times where there was no computer screen nearby, for example while watching television. It even happened when we were looking at shop windows or a magazine: suddenly you were overcome by the oppressive feeling that we got when the green light next to the webcam flashed, as a sign that it was storing yet another image in its huge memory. We came to terms with it. The desire to discover patterns was greater than the inconvenience of the gaze. We also enjoyed the experiment, studying your self -portrait is fascinating. The sometimes claustrophobic feeling, the confrontation with our own daily routine alternated with the pleasure of knowing we have been recorded and being able to observe ourselves. We are thus more concerned with personal, subjective, even sensitive feelings: layers which will reveal themselves beyond the objective and concrete facts in the large number of images. We are looking for extraordinary connections and unpredictable arrangements, for series of images that no-one would put together.
A film for the project - If You Could Collaborate - initiated by Alex Bec & Will Hudson / It's Nice That. featuring the rainbow gun, a tool that allows the user to paint with 7 spray-cans simultaneously. London, UK, 2009
We made the whole video in one day. The music was recorded the same night. We should do this more often!
In collaboration with Job Wouters
Link to the YouTube video
Respect to Daniel Tagno who independently invented a similar tool in 2008.
Engineering: Rene Bakker
Music Recording by: Simon & Sajoscha
Rotoscoping: Hans Willem Gijzel
Location: Wittenplaats, Abel Roskam
Music by: Yvo Sprey & Friends
Yvo Sprey - Drums
Vicente Pino - Guitar
Lake Montgomery - Melodica
Sajosha Talirz - Bass
Simon Wald-Lasowski - Sax
Roel Wouters - Keyboard
Job Wouters - Piano
Thanks to: Sal Kroonenberg, Cam-a-Lot, Karst-Janneke Rogaar, Rik Elstgeest
A website and installation for W139 , an Amsterdam-based exhibition and production space for contemporary art. Amsterdam, N,L 2009
The WEX Machine is a table that is photographed from top every 5 min. The photograph is automatically published on the front page of W139. This allows visitors and staff members from the W139 to easily and instantly publish their thoughts, wishes or announcements to the web. The WEX is dressed with a touch screen to access the W139's archive, a silver sphere to peek inside the gallery space and a printer that allows online visitors to upload images, artworks or thoughts to the physical gallery space.
The WEX'S name is a combination of the words W139 and EXtender. We also like the link with the memex a hypothetical proto-hypertext system that Vannevar Bush described in 1945.
In collaboration with Erik Borra .
The WEX Machine is a project by Roel Wouters & Erik Borra, produced by Vincent Lindeboom. Developed together with the staff members of W139 and Rene Bakker. Thanks to Hidde Meulenbeek for GUI detailing and graphic design assistance, Van Tetterode Glasobjekten, Daan Meijer. Thank you! Florian Cramer for your words at the opening.
Robot High School is a music video for My Robot Friend. NYC, USA, 2007
The video was shot in a single take in an abandoned warehouse. Robot High School allegorically questions what happens when our perspective and views of reality are manipulated.
Link to YouTube video
Link to the Flickr photo set
producer: Ivo de Jongh & Jack Kuiper
executive producer: Vargo Bawits
scenario: Roel Wouters
director: Roel Wouters
director of photography: Sal Kroonenberg
camera asst: Janneke van de Ven
gaffer: Nicholas Burrough grip: Joris Kerbosch
cylinder movement: Job Wouters
ball movement: Antonius de Munck
grading: Jack Kuiper
rotoscoping: Barrie Kas & Jack Kuiper
production asst: Lotte Belice Baltussen, Frank Karsten
constructions: Paul Beuk
Thanks to: Cam-a-lot, Singel Film, Egripment, Pieter Kool, Karst-Janneke Rogaar
A music video for Adam Brat. Amsterdam, NL, 2010
The video was shot at the test facility where Roel's father Rob used to work. Although we filmed about 12 takes with lots of dolly zooming and framing. We decided to use the very last take with no zooming and a fixed camera position.
Crew
Adam Brat - Twist Your Nipples
Guest Appearance: Elle Bandita
Director: Roel Wouters
Makup Artist: Nicolette Brøndsted
D.O.P.: Sal Kroonenberg
Gaffer: Nicholas Burrough
Producer: Vincent Lindeboom
Construction: Paul Beuk
On Premise Specialist: Rob Wouters
Set Photography: Katerina Plevkova
Thank you!
Dare Consultancy, Eelco Schram, Cam-a-lot, René Bakker, AVP, Daniel Regan, Ria Wouters, Karst-Janneke Rogaar
Link to: YouTube video
Link to: Flickr photo set
zZz is playing: Grip is a music video recorded live, as part of the opening 'Nederclips' curated by Bart Rutte at the Stedelijk Museum in 's-Hertogenbosch, NL, 2007
It is a one take, top shot music video with trampoline gymnasts simulating typical video effects.
The project was commissioned by the TAX-videoclipfonds. The important criteria were that the audience at the opening would be able to witness the whole shoot, and that the video could be added to the exhibition immediately after the shoot. This meant we had no option to reshoot or edit if something went wrong. This made the whole crew so focussed that we performed even better than any of us could have imagined.
The video has won 'The Best Music Video Award' at Festival du clip in Lille, France.
Link to the video on YouTube
Link to The making of Grip, part I
Link to The making of Grip, part II
Drums: Bjorn Ottenheim
Keyboard: Daan Schinkel
Trampoline Gymnasts: Sven Mooij, Kirsten Boersma, Renaud Victor
Timeline: Isabel Penisga
Gray Men: Jurriaan van Nimwegen, Patric van den Dorpel
Crew
Director: Roel Wouters a.k.a. Xelor
Producer: Ivo de Jongh, Jack Kuiper
Executive Producer: Vargo Bawits
Choreography: Sabine Linz
Camera: Sal Kroonenberg
Grip: Jorrit Haas
Gaffer: Daan de Boer
Best Boy: David Hoekstra
Production Design: Alexander Six
Costume Design: Niki Mens
First A.D.: Ari Hemelaar
Make Up: Cecilia Kuhnen
Grading: Jack Kuiper
Assistant Xelor: Veerle Arts
Production Assisant: Hugo van der Meer, Rachel Janssen, Barbara sikking, Sietse van den Broek
Grip is a Xelor & Goeroe media production commissioned by the TAX-videoclipfonds / Jan Schuijren. © music: Exelsior | © video: Xelor & Goeroe media 2007
Thanks to: Luna, Job, Kj, SM’s, Cam-a-lot
A Interactive monument for the victims of the flood of 1953. based in Watersnoodmuseum in Ouwerkerk.
The project started in 2001 at a workshop of the mediafonds at the Sandberg Institute and was opened on 23 april 2009 by prime minister J.P. Balkenende.
The project is based at a special location namely inside one of the caissons, huge concrete constructions used to close the broken dykes.
It is a collection of memories about the victims of the flood. These oral memories are triggered vocally by speaking out loud a name of one of the victims. The names of the victims are projected on the sand.
We created a mini site in order to collect these memories.
In collaboration with Koert Davidse (Serious Film) and Omroep Zeeland.
System design: Peter van Deth, Lightning: Joep Vermeulen
With the generous help of Stimuleringsfonds Nederlandse Culturele Omroepproducties, Prins Bernard Fonds, VSB fonds, DRV Accountants en belastingadviseur, Scansoft, Scoop, Zeeuws Archief, Zeelandnet, Submarine.
Special thanks to Museum Watersnood 1953
Poster & Invitation for an exhibition of the Chinese artist Yang Fudong in Stedelijk Museum. Amsterdam, NL, 2006
Because of its big size the poster is designed in the same size as it is printed.
Reproduction photography: Thomas Manneke
Curator Stedelijk: Marten Jongema
Taken from an article in Graphic Magazine 17 "WHEN DESIGN BECOMES ATTITUDE"
Conditional Design is a tight knit collaboration that we have had since many years and formalized in 2008 through weekly meetings at the kitchen table of Luna Maurer. During the first half year we worked on a manifesto, which could act as a framework for our meetings and discussions. It was also important to us that this manifesto would be shared with the outside world and could therefore also be discussed and critiqued outside of our personal surroundings.
Instead of defining ourselves by the medium that we work in, we wanted to create a term that would describe our approach to our work. Conditional Design puts a focus on processes rather than products: things that adapt to their environment, emphasize change and show difference.
Usually our individual design practices are very result orientated. Our meetings are a place to test and discuss assumptions and unfinished ideas. After completing the manifesto, we started doing a series of weekly workshops, where each week one of us would come up with a plan for the evening. We created a camera setup above Luna’s kitchen table, with which we could easily document the workshops and share them online.
Members of Conditional Design are:
Luna Maurer, graphic designer
Roel Wouters, graphic designer
Edo Paulus, sound artist
Jonathan Puckey, graphic designer
Link to the site of Graphic Magazine
Link to the site of Conditional Design
Link to the Conditional Design Manifesto (.pdf)
In collaboration with Luna Maurer for Place-It. With Alexander Egger, Manuel Reader, Kasia Korczak / Slavs & Tatars, organized by Gallery Lungomare parallel to Manifesta 7. Bolzano, Italy, July - October 2008
This is an exercise without aim, but which carries as main idea the fact that it is possible to change daily habits. Singular letters form words and these become sentences. It is about simple instructions, neither radical nor political minded, which everybody can try, because they are taken out of daily life. This are small thought-provoking impulses, which allow to make aware everyday life, place, origin to the point of indentity to reconsider and reflect these issues. The ten sentences are exemplary and can be continued indefinitely.
Because in a land where everybody is conscious of its beauty as well as traditions and culture are intensivly cultivated/maintained, fear of loosing them is predominating. That leads to an increasing, ostentating acting out of identity, which is often, seen by distance, perceived as constrained ridgidity. With this exercise fear from the loss of identity and cultural heritage shall be taken away and people shall be invited to think within different perspectives.
Click here to view the proposals on the locations via Google maps
Link to a Flickr photo set
Jubilator was first performed in October 2007 during the opening event of the new big screen CAS Zuidas in Amsterdam. Around 500 people witnessed the unique moment when Jubliator was first launched.
Jubilator is a ball of 120 cm diameter with a wireless built in camera and microphone. The image that is captured by the ball is live projected on the screen in front of the crowd.
Jubilator's name is lend from the verb 'jubilate': show great happiness, rejoice. By throwing the ball up high in the air, letting it drop to the ground, passing it on from person to person, holding your face in front of it or just by everyone reaching their arms far out, the most divers and spectacular images emerge. By watching the screen you can directly see the results of your own interactions with jubliator: while observing the crowd you suddenly see close-ups of faces, hands, arms and other body parts and together with this image you hear the emplified jubilating sounds people make by interacting with the ball. But Jubilator also brings the spacial surrounding into new perspectives. Due to the camera's lens, the ball's movements, it's spinning and the dynamics of bouncing, everything - people, houses, ground and sky - becomes an actor in the crazy ride through space and time.
In collaboration with Luna Maurer
For Jubilators website click here.
Technical Producer: Kostya Leonenko
Ball Design: Wiebe Boonstra
Production Ball: de Jager Product
Still Photography at opening: Marc Faasse
Executive Producer: Annette Schautt
Catalogue for the graduation 2009 Media Design, PZI - Piet Zwart Institute WDKA. Rotterdam, NL, 2009
A social computation experiment.
"... The design of the catalogue is based on the most simple form of computation: numbering. Yet, in a reversal of standard technology, every single one of the 48,000 total pages of this catalogue was hand-numbered by students, staffers and designers in a couple of day-long sessions over the course of a full year. But this catalogue is not just the product of social computation and processual design, but continues to process while you are reading it. The charcoal pigments of the page numbers crumble, gradually contaminating the pages. ..." /Florian Cramern
With contributions by Dennis de Bel, Marc Chia, Timo Klok, Alexandre Leray, Leonie Urff, Stephanie Vilayphiou, Serena Williams, Sauli Warmenhoven, Florian Cramer, Arie Altena, Aymeric Mansoux. Published by the Piet Zwart Institute, Willem De Kooning Academy Rotterdam University
In collaboration with Luna Maurer
Link to the Piet Zwart Institute
Link to the Flickr photo page
The visual identity and a series of promotional brochures for a program about mediacritisism in deBalie. Amsterdam, NL, 2007
Quotes are reflecting on the theme. Themes were: Politics & Freedom of speech, The way dutch media created an image of Slobodan Miloscevic, invisibility in the media.
Click here for the website of infowarroom made by Roel & Erik Borra
Levend Archief (Living Archive) – video installation and digital platform as an homage to Jan Wolkers. Commissioned by Stedelijk Museum De Lakenhal. Leiden, NL, 2009
Living archive is an installation in the dunes, a nature reserve, in The Netherlands (map). During the year of 2009 everyone is invited to manifest him- or herself in the spirit of Jan Wolkers, a famous Dutch artist and author who died in 2007. A camera records everything that moves within a specific marked area by movement detection. The fragments generate a big archive of accidental video material, nature observations, animals passing the marked area as well as intentional material by people performing in front of the camera. Nature and culture melt in the digital archive levendarchief.nlOn the website people can see all the recorded fragments and drag their favourites in the timeline on top. The timeline creates a movie that can be edited by everyone. This collaborative and constantly changing movie is simultaneously projected in the museum.
The documentation images show the website, the location with the camera pal, stills of the video fragments, the promotion brochure and the 'new year card' of the Stedelijk Museum De Lakenhal.
In collaboration with Luna Maurer.
Commissioned by Edwin Jacobs
Technical realization: @Xit
A selection of posters from the 'Conditional Design Tuesdays', meetings at Luna's kitchen table. 2008 - 2011
Paper size: 70 x 100 cm
4 different colors pen: red (Jonathan), green (Roel), blue (Luna), black (Edo).
Since spring 2008 we (Luna Maurer, Edo Paulus, Jonathan Puckey and Roel Wouters) come together every tuesday at Luna's kitchen table. Aside from working on the Conditional Design Manifesto we organize weekly Conditional Design workshops and publish the results on our Conditional Design website. These posters are also one of the results of these workshops.
For the posters, every week one of us had to define the rules that we will execute during one evening. We never know exactly how the patterns will emerge. Sometimes, the patterns are complex and the rules are simple and sometimes the patterns are simple and the rules as well.
Link to the Conditional Design archive
Trailer for the first edition of International Film Festival Breda.
25 - 29 march 2009
A silver sphere on an endless checkerboard floor is the default for many 3D modeling applications. It can be seen as an icon for a sterile, makeable world. Reality though, is dirty and unpredictable. By recreating this icon in reality the beauty and imperfection of real life gets emphasized.
The recording was the result of 3 people controlling different parts of the installation, Roel controlled the speed of the balls, Benoit (Eurogrip) controlled the speed of the dolly and Sal focussed and zoomed the camera. It turned out to be a play were the 3 of us playing harmoniously together.
Sound design by Edo Paulus
Link to video on YouTube
Link to Flickr photo set
Job and Gradus both are very ambitious concerning letters. Spontanious jam sessions in our studio inspired us to make this video about the fun of drawing letters.
This project was commissioned by Creative Review & Sony.
hand 1 Gradus W. Wouters
hand 2 Job Wouters
directed by Roel Wouters
d.o.p: Sal Kroonenberg
music: Rik Elstgeest & Bo Koek
production asst: Ton de Munck & Karst-Janneke Rogaar
In collaboration with Job Wouters
Link to the video on YouTube
Link to the Flickr photo set
Record sleeve and promotional material and for Kopna Kopna (dutch popband).
Amsterdam, NL, 2004
In order to shoot the crowd, we gave away 2000 masks to the audience during a show at Lowlands. Frontman Rik asked his fans to put up the masks, then Thomas and Roel jumped on stage to shoot the crowd.
Photography: Thomas Manneke.
Link to Flickr photo set
Promotial material for clubnight in 'sugarfactory' Amsterdam, NL, 2006 - 2009
in collaboration with Job Wouters
Client: MRKMLN
Design and editing for a cultural magazine on the future of the olympic area. Amsterdam, NL, 2009
We commissioned visual contributions to ...and Beyond, Denny Backhaus, Erik Borra, BoyPlayGirl, Uta Eisenreich, Marc Faasse, Timo Hoffmeijer, Karst-Janneke Rogaar, Tunc Topcuoglu, Simon Wald-Lasowski.
In collaboration with Luna Maurer
Link to Flickr photo set
Short movie commissioned by Urban Screen Festival, CASZuidas. Amsterdam, NL, 2009
In collaboration with Luna Maurer
Sound design by Edo Paulus
Link to YouTube video
Link to Flickr photo set
Short movie for children for the series 'Grote Kunst voor Kleine Mensen' (Great art for small people), published on DVD, shown and distributed worldwide. Amsterdam, NL, 2005
Sally is a short film that shows marbles in a room. The gravitation of the room is variable therefore the marbles will dance over the floor, walls and ceiling.
In collaboration with Luna Maurer
Audio post production: Bo Koek
Link to YouTube
Link to Flickr photo set
In June 2004 the pulllovers were presented at the exhibition "10 years Design Sandberg Institute" at Post CS, Amsterdam.
The traditional Argyle-pattern is distorted by capturing the different effects that body postures and movements have on clothes. Five different models of the Argyle Pullover were sold in editions of 10 during the exhibition. (sold out)
The Argyle Pullovers were knitted at the Textile Museum, Tilburg, with a digital knitting technique.
In collaboration with Luna Maurer
A promotional campaign for a week about populair culture in debate centre deBalie. Amsterdam, NL, 2009
A big thanks to Merel Snel. The windows are painted with the excellent handdrawing skills of Maarten van Maanen & Yvo Sprey
Chains of Affection, 'The structure of my early romantic and sexsual network' is an installation showed in Odessa (a pub in Leiden) where Roel Wouters used to work. The graphic shows his romantic network in this period (1994 - 2001). Leiden, NL, 2005
note: this map is subjective and incomplete
inspired by this research of James Moody.
Performance during the first Visual Power Show in Paradiso. Amsterdam, NL, 2003
In collaboration with Luna Maurer
Performance at the International Browserday in Paradiso. Amsterdam, NL, 2002
It's theme was 'wireless'. During the performance we carried a fan on to the stage and placed it in front of the computer-screen. The fan accelerates until it blows away the entire desktop.
In collaboration with Luna Maurer
Link to YouTube video
An installation for the exhibition 'Mark-municipal art acquisitions 2003' in the Stedelijk Museum. Amsterdam, NL, 2003
The installation is a trash-can filled with the digital trash from the computers of the exhibition's participants.
Alon Levin
Daniel van der Velden and Maureen Mooren
Hansje van Halem
Joes Koppers
Jop van Bennekom
Julia Born
Leo van Munster
Lost & Found
Machine
Mevis & Van Deurssen
Persijn & Margit
Richard Niessen
Stuart Bailey
Thomas Buxo
Will Holder
Coding: Andre Pahl
Thank you: Karst-Janneke Rogaar, Rob Schroder.
Promotional flyers for parties in de Kring. 2003 - 2004
Every month i invited a friend in my studio to hand draw a portrait of the Dj playing that night. While my friend was drawing the DJ we played music, drank a beer and i was drawing the other, informative side of the flyer. 12 of these flyers have been made.
