Written by Fleur van Deijck
Picture by Rob Lipsius
You might be on campus when you are reading this. Why don’t you walk outside and take a look at the Ocean building? Do you notice the orange-colored mural on the wall? Looks nice, right? In the summer of 2020, the campus got a new addition: a Blind Walls Gallery mural made by design studio Rob & Robin. Blind Walls Gallery is a famous collection of murals in Breda, the main goal is to illustrate and inform you about the characteristic and significant story of a specific location.
On the wall you can see an orange-colored key cord. During the design process, several objects passed the revue, like festival bracelets, post-its or items that are being used while exercising. Eventually, the key cord was chosen as a reference to the event industry, which fits in the Leisure and Events course well. It is an iconic object that is applicable to all aspects of BUas.
First mural at BUas
In 2019, BUas became part of the Blind Walls Gallery. Dutch illustrator Rick Berkelmans, also known as Hedof, painted a mural in the Ocean building. He visualized different applicable characters, like a DJ, a swimmer, and a skater. The characters refer to the Leisure & Events education. The artwork adds color and a great atmosphere to the staircases on the left and right side of the Ocean building. You can visit the mural during the opening hours of BUas.
About Blind Walls Gallery
Blind Walls Gallery is a museum on the streets. Artists from all over the world create a collection of murals inspired by stories of the past, present and future of Breda. They offer several tours you can do by bike or on foot. So far, there are 123 murals in Breda you can visit. My favorite mural is ‘Mantra’, which you can find in Tuinzigtlaan. It was made in 2018 and visualizes three colorful butterflies. The goal of the mural is to raise awareness for extinctive species of butterflies in the Netherlands. The mural gives the feeling they can fly out of the wall any second, because of the realness and powerful colors. Check out the website of Blind Walls Gallery or Mantra if you would like to have more information.
About Rob & Robin
The orange mural on the Ocean building is characteristic for the style of designers Rob & Robin. They are a Breda based design studio, which was founded in 2018. The design studio focuses mainly on graphic design, illustration, and animation. Their goal is to simplify complex things and lighten the load of the heavy topics they visualize. Also, they try to create intelligent yet simple, and solid concepts with a playful twist. They approach every project with a sleeve-rolled-up attitude while having a good laugh. Check out their website or Instagram if you would like to have more information about the design studio.
About Hedof
Hedof has designed different murals for the Blind Walls Gallery. His artwork is thoughtful with a well-balanced composition and candy-colored shapes. The livable characters are distinctive for his artwork. There is more depth to his work than you would think at first. You can find more information about Hedof on his website or Instagram.
