Studio mxmxm

His gigantic ‘Steenman’ invites visitors to take a look at the new forest. The ‘Steenman’ consists of 7 concrete circles that allow for further playful exploration. It is only upon arrival that the visitor discovers that the concrete tower is hollow. With an entrance whose height especially invites children. The inner wall directs attention upwards to an open oculus where the sky beckons like an unreachable point of light, whose background clouds continuously change. The side wall is perforated by reflective metal tubes. Incoming light plays with points of light on the inner wall, which move with the position of the sun. Children peek outside, at the landscape. Or call their parents through the mouthpiece. Parents answer, spy inside.

Outside, in a circle around the tower, children build their own cairn again and again. Ever different shapes, different heights, different shadows. In this way the ‘Steenman’ plays all his trump cards. A landmark for the approaching visitor. A play tower for children who communicate with the outside world from the inside. An invitation to get started by building a cairn. Finally, a grey map that gives the eventful history of this special place a place in the whole.

Vloethemveld is a nature reserve of approximately 330 hectares with a hidden past. It is a very varied area, with forest, heath, barren grasslands and nutrient-poor water. You will find untouched nature, military heritage and the memory of a prisoner of war camp through the art of its inhabitants.