Tranen van Breda (Tears of Breda)
Tranen van Breda (Tears of Breda) is the title of the memorial artwork that artists Margit Lukács & Persijn Broersen are designing for the Grote Kerk Breda. They designed the memorial inspired by the symbolism of tears and realised with tears donated specially for this memorial. Each tear is unique and tells a personal story. If you magnify tears, they all have their own structure. For instance, a tear of sadness looks different from a tear of joy. These organic patterns of tears form the basis for the new memorial artwork in the Grote Kerk Breda.
Unveiled in mid-September, Tranen van Breda (Tears of Breda) will provide a space for everyone to light a candle, find a moment of peace or come together. The immediate reason for this is the fact that 15 March ‘25 marked exactly five years since the temporary COVID-19 memorial was erected, making it clear that there is a great need to commemorate relatives in the Grote Kerk Breda.
If you magnify tears, they all have their own structure
Foto: Roger de Waal
Permanent memorial
Right at the start of the COVID-19 crisis, it becomes clear once again how the Grote Kerk Breda is a place of solace. Relatives of victims visit the church to commemorate their loved ones. A temporary monument where deceased are commemorated with portraits and candles is erected where the deceased are commemorated with portraits and candles - a place to reflect on loss. What began as a memorial for Corona victims has now grown into a much-visited monument for anyone who has lost a loved one. Have you placed a portrait in the church? If you pass on your contact details to one of our Volunteers, we will keep you informed of any developments.
A TEAR FOR HOME
On 31 August, the current monument will make way for Tranen van Breda (Tears of Breda. Everyone who has placed a portrait will be given the opportunity to collect it before then. We will inform you about that in time. To preserve the memory of the period during which the portrait stood in the church, we offer everyone who collects a portrait a miniature tear to keep the memory alive at home.
About the artists
About the artists
Margit Lukács and Persijn Broersen work at the intersection of technology, media and art. They have a deep interest in the changing way stories are told in a world full of digital communication. The artist duo investigates the influence of technology on our perception of history and political landscapes, among other things.
Their work is a reflection of the zeitgeist, in which technology is fundamentally changing the way we experience and understand the world. Such is the case with Tranen van Breda (Tears of Breda), for which tears are magnified under a microscope before being scanned and converted into a three-dimensional form in a permanent material.
Maurice Mikkers (Apeldoorn) creates the unique combination between scientific and artistic photography. With his ongoing project Imaginarium of Tears, Mikkers captures the beauty of tears by crystallising them and then photographing them under a microscope.
Capturing (emotional) tears is challenging. Mikkers has perfected this process over the lifetime of the Imaginarium of Tears by engaging in various collaborations with universities and their various departments, including psychology, sociology, physics and biotechnology. Mikkers: ‘Through these collaborations, art and science come together. For me, that's a beautiful symbiotic relationship.’
Lukács and Broersen's oeuvre consists of layered projections, digital animations and spatial installations and has been exhibited worldwide, including at the Sydney Biennale (AU), Rencontres Arles (FR), Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam (NL), Centre Pompidou Paris (FR), Shanghai World Expo (CN), Kröller-Müller Museum (NL), BredaPhoto Festival (NL) and Stedelijk Museum Breda (NL).
Tears of Breda is realised as part of the House of Stories Master Plan and is made possible in part by:
