Vuurtoren

About Fire, Imagination and Making Together

Isa van Lier, who grew up in Amsterdam-Noord and now has a studio there, has been invited by Stichting NDSM-werf to lead this year’s annual educational programme. Together with pupils at De Baanbreker, she explores what it means to keep your inner fire burning. What gives us energy? What really matters to us? And how can we make space for creativity, play and connection, especially in a world under increasing pressure? Fire carries a dual meaning in this project. It can destroy and exhaust, but it can also provide warmth and light, and give rise to something new. Isa aims to transform destructive fire into something creative: a collective fire that brings people together and inspires them to make, play and collaborate.

Workshop and Pit Firing

On 2 September, the pupils will explore the theme at school under the guidance of Isa van Lier. Their thoughts and ideas will quite literally take shape, as each child creates their own small ‘fire’ from clay. There will also be an opportunity for anyone at NDSM who would like to take part. Between 12.30 pm and 2.30 pm on 2 September, visitors can create their own clay fire and become part of the project.
On 29 and 30 September, the clay fire sculptures will be fired using the ancient technique of pit firing. Earth, water, air and fire come together in a process in which the elements themselves help shape the final result. Over the course of 24 hours, the clay fires will be fired in this ceremonial fire.

At 12.30 pm on 30 September, the sculptures will be taken from the pit at NDSM, Noorderlicht. This moment will take the form of a celebratory ritual, and everyone is welcome to attend.

Together, these many small fires pay tribute to the creative fire that lies in the hands of all the makers at NDSM. The clay fires are not only a first introduction to the material and the process of making, but also a symbolic beginning for a much larger lighthouse.

A Beacon at NDSM

The clay project is the first step towards Vuurtoren (Lighthouse), the larger artwork that Isa van Lier plans to realise at NDSM in 2027. Together with pupils from De Baanbreker, residents of Amsterdam-Noord, students, people experiencing burnout, expats and other Amsterdam-based makers, she is building a lighthouse that brings together different worlds and experiences.

Vuurtoren aims to involve as many people as possible in the process of searching for, finding and following their own inner fire. The project invites us to pause and reflect on what occupies us and what we truly value. It then asks us not merely to talk about these questions, but to put them into practice together. Children and local residents will contribute to making, painting and building the final lighthouse. The result will be an artwork quite literally carried by many hands.

Space for the Future

Through its annual educational programme, Stichting NDSM-werf brings artists and children together at NDSM. By exploring, making and experimenting together, the programme creates not only an artwork, but also an encounter between different generations and perspectives.

Vuurtoren begins with a small fire made from clay, but will grow into something larger: a shared beacon for NDSM, created through the imagination, passion and energy of the people who live, work and come together there.