Spatial, interactive installations _

MARNIX designs spatial, interactive installations that bring people together and set things in motion. Not objects to look at, but places to experience. His installations evoke wonder, connection and meaningful interaction, even when he’s not present.

Do you have a physical space, an ambition and the desire to move people? Discover what MARNIX can offer.

What MARNIX offers:

Spatial installations and art experiences that bring people together in unexpected ways.
Each installation is tailored to its context and audience. From parks to art labyrinths: MARNIX translates ambitions or questions into physical experiences that resonate.
Think of installations that combine beauty and impact, always with a focus on connection and sustainability.

What makes MARNIX unique:

A powerful blend of art, technology and storytelling.
Experience is central: people are invited to pause, share, or act.
From dream to realization: from concept and design to construction and installation, always in collaboration with a carefully curated network of makers, technicians and specialists.

After the poetry afternoon “Poet in the Park” at the Urban Wood Web artwork in Zuylen cemeterypark, a visitor wrote on a card: “This is where I’d like to be on my last day. Will you be here too?”

When to call MARNIX:

You have a location and seek a meaningful way to connect people .
You want a spatial artwork that combines aesthetics, impact and a societal theme.
You want an installation that touches people, even in a brief encounter.

Examples of encounters between space, people and imagination:

THE REVELATION OF AN INVISIBLE REALM
Urban Wood Web
Video

Urban Wood Web

Amazed, admired, and to be loved together. Allow me to introduce the artwork “Urban Wood Web”, part of the outdoor auditorium “ADORE” at Zuylen Cemetery. Rooted in Breda and connected to the world. A magical place symbolizing growth and development, fertility, immortality, and healing.

Within the artist duo, MARNIX played a significant role in designing and creating the auditorium surrounded by greenery, with an interactive playground of illuminating tree roots, stage & grandstand.

At the heart of Zuylen Cemetery stands a majestic Liquidambar tree, serving as the focal point. The artwork unfolds organically around this tree, consisting of a clever root network fueled by light and sound. During the day, and especially in the evening, spectators will experience an interactive play of light and sound. The artwork is enclosed by a stage and grandstand for gatherings and ceremonies.

Urban Wood Web is an artwork that highlights the underground communication of trees through a sophisticated network of fungi. The underlying message is that we, as humans, are also interconnected, with each other as well as with nature.

Sustainability is crucial for the client as well. The artwork and its foundation are entirely 3D printed without waste, using an innovative 6-axis robotic printer with 100% hospital waste plastic. The robot printer meticulously followed the natural curvature of each unique root element, unprecedented on a global scale.

Biodiversity is promoted with greenery in and around the artwork. The use of Azobe wood, previously serving as a floodgate element, gives the wood a second life. Wooden instruments such as piano, cello, and harp musically accompany the transition from day to night, creating an enchanting atmosphere in the cemetery where nature comes to life.

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Concept and design of the auditorium ADORE with the artwork Urban Wood Web, stage & grandstand:
Merel van der Linden & Marnix van de Vijver

Client:
Zuylen Cemetery

In collaboration with:
Merel van der Linden
Livingprojects
Shape Service
Studio Solo
Contracting company M.P. Drijvers BV
MOOK architectural drawing & consultancy firm
B-vier Tree specialist
Qtents
Dumont Beton
Metaalplan BV
Kropman Installatietechniek BV
2B bouwconstructies
Constructiebedrijf van de Camp
Timber trade – DHZ Arno van den Dungen BV
YURR studio

URBAN WOOD WEB

© Merel van der Linden & MARNIX.eco _

"Like trees, human life is about passing things on. Such as knowledge, love & insight. You can feel this in the artwork. During the day, visitors experience the roots along with a soundscape. In the evening, the artwork responds to the presence of visitors through movement of light in the roots."

ZUYLEN

Urban Wood Web _

“Here, connection grows. A place to pause. A moment of wonder.”

JUDIT KERKHOFFS

Practor Guest Experience _

"It was enchantingly beautiful and impressive at that place, thank you, Marnix and Merel."

MARCEL EEKHOUT

Landscape Architect _

"Very beautiful interactive project and truly worth seeing! Thank you for the explanation and presentation!"

ZUYLEN

Urban Wood Web _

“On Park Zuylen stands an amber tree. A rooted eyecatcher with copper-golden leaves. This is the center of an interactive experience. Adore represents a milestone in the development of Park Zuylen. A green park enriched with art. A place where memories live.”

MIKE VAN DEN BERG

Zuylen Funeral Services, Crematorium, and Cemeteries _

"I think it’s beautiful that we’re going to ADORE. The location symbolizes connection. This fits perfectly with the theme, as the child will always remain part of the family." - World Candle Lighting Day

CONNY VAN DER WOUW

Director School of Creative Thinking _

"Beautiful work! Connecting communication in nature with us. And in a place where farewells play an important role. I’m impressed. Wishing more cities an Urban Wood Web."

YVETTE LANGBROEK

Zuylen Funeral Services, Crematorium, and Cemeteries _

"Marnix and Merel are two artists with a great love for nature. Through this special artwork (ADORE), they allow people to experience connection in this unique place, which in itself is already memorable for many. … The dedication, creativity, and the ability to quickly switch at certain moments contributed to the creation of this special artwork in collaboration with various partners. However, it was especially the creative and persistent enthusiasm of Marnix and Merel, even in the most challenging moments, for this artwork to come to fruition."

JUICY GOSSIP FROM THE PLANT KINGDOM
JUICE! Peek shamelessly
Teaser Video

JUICE! Peek shamelessly

Enjoy listening to the juicy gossip from the plant kingdom, featuring the most intriguing stories from the flora and fauna circuit. Not everyone smoothly undergoes photosynthesis.

Nearly 400 years ago, at the end of Speelhuislaan in Breda, there stood a hunting lodge amid a forest where wild animals were kept. The now vacant land has been transformed into an amusement park once again, featuring the art installation JUICE!

MARNIX takes you into the fascinating world of plants and their fungi. We tend to anthropomorphize nature, such as talking to animals and plants. This concept was translated into a rehabilitation center for plants; four different patients, each with their own character, are connected by fungal threads called mycorrhiza.

What do the plants have to say to each other? Are they recovering from harsh conditions, or are they screaming in pain? Are they reflecting on life, or looking forward with joy? Tune in to their fungal network, find the juiciest gossip, and shamelessly nose around.

Playing is about meeting, getting to know each other, and practicing collaboration. Can we, through play, make our city more sustainable?

Embark on a discovery in the Havenkwartier. For six weeks, you were welcome here for a sensory-stimulating art and culture program within a magical art maze, featuring JUICE! as a permanent part.

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JUICE! is part of SPEEL!, a project by CrossArts, and is co-created by Mothership and Krijn de Koning.

Client:
CrossArts. The five initiators of CrossArts include Brack, Electron, Grote Kerk, Breda Photo, and Stichting Tranzforma (stadsgalerij).

Concept, ontwerp en productie:
Merel van der Linden en Marnix van de Vijver

HEDRA KARIN & CACTUS CARLO

JUICE! shamelessly peeks _

“Hey buddy, how's life?” – “Oh, you're asking how I'm doing again?” – “Well well, you sound quite overstimulated…” - “Yeah yeah, miss thinks she can play the psychologist again, well, we're all in the same boat.” - “Absolutely not, I have a completely different view on that…”

CACTUS CARLO & HEDRA KARIN

JUICE! shamelessly peeks _

“I always listen to my inner mold.” – “Yeah yeah, are you one of those who believe in molds, oh my god.”- Believe?! I get my nutrition from that, my life energy. Listen, I look pretty good, don't I, for a 198-year-old plant, you can communicate with molds, it gives you energy. It would help you too, my little dear succulent.”- “Well, I don't believe in that mold anymore, if that mold really existed, it would have made my life a bit more enjoyable.” – “I will summon the mold god to enlighten you to one big euphoric feeling, huh.”

SANSEVERIA SUZE

JUICE! shamelessly peeks _

“Hello … helloooo … yes, here I am again … you know … why, anyway? One time you're standing here tucked away in a corner, then again in some fake student's room … yuck … with that lukewarm beer in your mug … seriously … sooo…”

RHODONENDRON RODERICK VON DEN DRON & CACTUS CARLO

JUICE! shamelessly peeks _

"Carlo, I've picked up another juicy rumor from the garden. Do you know what I heard about the Fern Family?" - "Let me guess, they have aphids?" - "Indeed, it seems that they are so unhygienic that their leaves are affected by aphids. And while other plants aren't allowed to go to school because of that." - "Ridiculous, we deserve better neighbors than them. But what about the Willow Family? I heard they have a fungus. That's what happens when you don't get good care."

MULTIMEDIA POP-UP THEATER PERFORMANCE
Midsummer Madness
Behind the scenes

Midsummer Madness

What if what you see turns out not to be reality, and people are not who they seem to be? The Genius Loci (Latin), ‘the spirit of the place,’ is in that case the best beginning.

As a creative producer, MARNIX translates Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream into a contemporary pop-up location theater performance, fulfilling the last wish of artist Anne Pillen.

In this version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Anne and her love for the magical place AnnAtopiA are honored. The co-creation with various artists makes the performance a unique experience with poetry, multimedia, theater, music, and visual arts.

Let yourself be carried away by the sensory and multimedia pop-up theater performance, Midsummer Madness, and ask yourself: Is it illusion or pure art in the magical place AnnAtopia?

With this performance, we provide knowledge about the wonderful place, nestled in nature. MARNIX triggers the audience to sensory experience the history of the place with respect for its ideology and location.

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Client:
AnnAtopiA Foundation. AnnAtopiA is a special location where Anne Pillen passes on her artistry to creative talent. The life’s work of artist Sonja Prins also continues at this place. She had her own connection with A Midsummer Night’s Dream, as she performed it during her captivity in the Ravensbrück concentration camp.

SHAKESPEARE

Twelfth Night Act 3, Scene 4 _

"This is very midsummer madness."

HENK

AnnAtopiA _

"Beautiful, surprising, fairytale-like! Very intense, moving in the spirit of Anne. A privilege to be there."

MARIANNE VAN DER SLOOT

Deputy for Society, Culture, and Heritage in the province of North Brabant

"... Culture is the fuel of society, and thus you can hardly underestimate the value of culture. That this is also well ingrained in the minds of the creators of this production is evident from the fact that I recently encountered them at a meeting of the Law on the Preservation of Creativity...."

INGERMARLIES

AnnAtopiA _

"What a special place full of life. I never met Anne, but I felt like she was there. How wonderful that this can continue to exist. Touchingly beautiful."

ALFRED

AnnAtopiA _

"Special place and a special performance, a beautiful combination."

STEF RAY & CORRIE

AnnAtopiA _

"Not normal, the location, the actors, and the audience. An effortless collaboration, what a creative idea. I thoroughly enjoyed it."

LEONIE

AnnAtopiA _

"Beautiful, moving, TOUCHING. Love ♥ XXX"

EVENT CONCEPT
"Have I scanned you before?"
Teaser Video

Compliments & Talents Scan

There’s a good chance you’ll encounter the Agents of the Secret Society soon at a festival or networking event. Step into the mysterious scanning suitcase and let yourself be taken on an exciting journey… one that will make you feel risen.

MARNIX, as a concept developer, has been brought in to transform a successful past event concept into a contemporary product, including a stress test during the ‘Halve Zolen Festival,’ ‘BUT Film Festival,’ the pop festival ‘Breda Barst,’ and a talent festival at a High School.

The secret agents travel with this suitcase over land and sea to involve as many people as possible in their mission to improve the world.

The “Have I scanned you before?” Compliments and Talents Scan is specially designed to scan personalities to your heart’s content. As soon as the scan starts, a warm voice takes you through a mini-adventure of a Secret Society. Afterward, you receive your personal scan results instantly, in the form of a Compliments or Talents Certificate to take home. All packaged in radiant and soothing phrases that help you remember how awesome you are.

There was hearty laughter, astonished silence, blushing, and sometimes even a few tears shed after receiving the test results.

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Client:
Marina Lourens Creations

Concept and production:
Marina Lourens & Marnix van de Vijver

Script and voice actor:
Marina Lourens

Set construction:
Creative Workshop Stambacht

ROBERT

Compliments Scan _

“You scan amazingly! Touched by the beautiful words, I fly further on my freshly created delightful warm pink cloud… Keep scanning! Love it!”

MARGRIET

Compliments Scan _

"Secret Society Scan, a fantastic attraction, so special and fun. It's also accurate what is written. You give positive energy! Thanks."

KOEN

Compliments Scan _

“What nice people you are, with your beautiful sunglasses and nice outfits. You make this festival a bit more fun with your act. Thank you.”

SANDY

Compliments Scan _

“Amazing. The soulsisters really made a good scan of my personality. Super thanks. XXX”

MICHAEL

Compliments Scan _

“Dear Scanangels! You and your Soul-Scanning Machine really touched me… It honestly did ❤︎ What a wonderful experience!!! Dankje heel well. Your Magnetic jedi Michael.”

STEVE

Compliments Scan _

“I've never been scanned in my life, but what a positive experience!!! I would recommend it to everyone.”

AUGUSIO

Compliments Scan _

“Mumbo Jumbo Girls, you described me perfectly, mzibo one day I’ll decipher you! Be Smoke, my friends.”

JOKE

Compliments Scan _

“What a fun act with enthusiastic people. The result of the scan was surprisingly accurate. The audience watched fascinated.”

TESSA

Compliments Scan _

“What sweet warm words. They put a smile on my face ❤︎ I'll hang this at home so I can read it more often. You make people happy ❤︎ Beautiful work ❤︎ Thank you for the lovely scan ❤︎”

MARIEKE

Compliments Scan _

“I'll scan you guys, but I'll keep the secret… Heroes, a delightful positive message to frame. x”

RECOGNIZE, DEMONSTRATE, EXPERIENCE!
Vincent Van Gogh Experience 2015
Making-of Video

Vincent Van Gogh Experience

Heritage, craftsmanship, and visual culture come to life in an innovative mix in the traveling version of ‘The Potato Eaters,’ Vincent van Gogh’s masterwork. Using 3D camera techniques, viewers are digitally immersed and suddenly find themselves at the table among the potato eaters!

By working on a collaborative project, imagination is sparked, and joy is instigated among students and teachers in vocational education. The result is an iconic end product that thousands of people have enjoyed.

MARNIX knows how to bring heritage to the attention of a challenging audience in an engaging and interactive way. Teenagers are involved: instead of designing something for this target group, it was designed with the group, taking on a leading role in the late 19th-century style, the time of Van Gogh.

The premiere of the Vincent van Gogh Experience took place during the Breda Culture Night. More than 650 visitors were digitally immersed and real time transported into the painting.

The end result was well-received and traveled to various events, including Dutch Design Week Eindhoven, Red Hair Days, the presentation of the Brabant Heritage Prize, International Tourismusbörse Berlin, ART-Breda, Winter Wonderland, Van Gogh House Zundert, pop-up Museum Grandpa Van Gogh, pop-up exhibition Welcome to the world of Van Gogh, various Open Monument Days, and Culture Nights.

In addition to many events, the experience visited several high school open days, was used as the starting point for a futures exploration workshop and served as an icebreaker at networking dinners.

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Client:
Breda Promotions
Deeply rooted, widely branched.

Breda Promotions & MARNIX jointly won the ‘Value Increase by Visual Design’ (VIVID) Pressure Cooker leisure. Winning was the beginning of a sustainable relationship. From this collaboration, a series of experiences were designed, including the Vincent van Gogh Experience. The experiences ultimately converged into an exclusive Pop-up expo: ‘Welcome to the World of Van Gogh.’ An interactive exhibition for young and old at Breda station! The temporary expo attracted more than 20,000 visitors.

FRANCISCA

Welcome to the World of Van Gogh _

"Pop-art at Breda station. I am waiting for my sister-in-law and walking around, visiting this exhibition. Peace, harmony, enthusiastic employees, and for me, a surprisingly warm welcome to Breda. I enjoy and salute this beautiful initiative."

BOUKE (9)

Welcome to the World of Van Gogh _

“What I especially like about today at the station is that you can stand somewhere at a point and then see yourself standing. The most fun for me was doing that with The Potato Eaters.”

BARBARA PUTTERS

Breda Promotions - Community building & placemaking _

"What connections and what sustainable relationships has working with Marnix's exhibits yielded. The joint development and then the technology made the whole thing a true experience for both Cultuurbehoud Breda and teachers and students in secondary education. Presenting a heritage story in various locations in this way makes heritage tangible and accessible for everyone. Really, anything is possible."

IDENTIFY THE HAPPINESS HORMONES
Digital Detox D(r)ome
Teaser Video

Digital Detox D(r)ome

In a time where the (digital) world is racing rapidly with innovations and developments, it’s time for a Digital Detox, a moment of relaxation in Kairos time.

Amidst all the hustle and bustle at the city-deal “Proud of Projects Day,” guests could check in at the Detox D(r)ome*. Visitors handed in their phones with to a friendly hostess and were then immersed in a live audio experience through silent disco headphones. As soon as you step inside, the world around you turns into a dream.

MARNIX created a 5-minute timeless quick fix to stimulate the intuitive brain. So that afterwards, guests, once again fully charged and inspired, could make choices & policies in the field of digitization.

* D(r)ome sounds like ‘droom’ in Dutch, it is the Dutch word for dream.

In a time where the (digital) world is racing rapidly with innovations and developments, it’s time for a Digital Detox, a moment of relaxation in Kairos time.

Amidst all the hustle and bustle at the city-deal “Proud of Projects Day,” guests could check in at the Detox D(r)ome. Visitors handed in their phones with to a friendly hostess and were then immersed in a live audio experience through silent disco headphones. As soon as you step inside, the world around you turns into a dream.

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Client:
Bredata_ On the way to a digital and human society.

Concept Detox D(r)ome, design and production:
Marina Lourens, Merel van der Linden & Marnix van de Vijver

NATASCHA

Digital Detox _

"Can you call me every day to talk to me like this?"

HANS

Digital Detox _

"A delightful moment to reflect and take a moment for yourself. Thank you."

SANDRA

Digital Detox _

"Oh dear, all that immeasurable time. How are we going to fill that now... Thanks."

MARCEL

Digital Detox _

"Thanks for a nice Kairos moment."

RONALD

Digital Detox _

"Where have I been? What have I experienced?"

RICARDO

Digital Detox _

"A moment of reflection in these turbulent days."

LISTENING EXPERIENCE
My Summers with Mark
Teaser video

My Summers with Mark

MARNIX created a moment of stillness, wonder and connection with the river in Breda through the listening experience “My Summers with Mark.” Guided by The Voice of Water, a magical floating artwork by Observatorium, audiences embarked on a journey full of surprises.

Like a contemporary Pied Piper, the work moved along the riverbanks, mooring at different spots where stories came alive, giving the Mark a voice, gentle yet clear enough to lift blinders. Those who followed found themselves seeing differently; through the river’s eyes, unexpected beauty emerged.

My Summers with Mark was part of Liefde voor de Mark, a CrossArts project aiming to let the river flow not only through the landscape, but also through the hearts of the people. Knowing the Mark means feeling its spirit and understanding it is more than just water. By sharing stories and letting art speak, the project worked towards a new vision for the ’t Zoet urban area, one where the river becomes a full-fledged cultural space.

Walking together along the water was not just a stroll; it was an invitation to see the city and perhaps yourself, with new eyes.

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Concept & Production:
Marnix van de Vijver

In collaboration with:
CrossArts Breda, Observatorium and Marina Lourens

LISTENING EXPERIENCE

Quote _

"This bridge is not broken, even if it seems so to those crossing it. Its cracks and fractures are not signs of weakness, but of strength, like a mosaic. Sometimes things appear broken but are exactly as they should be."

DESIGN CHALLENGE HENRIËTTEWAARD
Nouvel Amour et Coeur Forte
Explainer video

Design Challenge Henriëttewaard

For the Design Challenge – Ondersteboven van Water in the Henriëttewaard, MARNIX contributed to the winning concept by team Nouvel Amour. The challenge was to envision the future of a historic landscape that, under the influence of climate change, would gain new functions and meaning.

MARNIX brought his strengths into play, immersing himself in the area, exploring the potential of the Zuiderwaterlinie’s past as a foundation for the future and translating ideas into imagery and atmosphere. His work made abstract concepts tangible, so the design could not only be understood, but also felt.

The result was presented at Dutch Design Week in a striking video pitch that transported the audience to the year 2129. In this vision, the Netherlands becomes the WaterRandStad: a North Brabant metropolis built upon the historic structure of the Zuiderwaterlinie. At its heart beats Coeur Forte, a super pumping station integrated into a climate dike that combines water management, recreation and urban agriculture. Thanks to MARNIX’s ability to weave ideas into compelling narratives, the design gained depth, coherence and persuasive power—showing the value of having a creative thinker who can let ideas flow and give them meaningful form.

Download vision document here.

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Client:
Kunstloc Brabant, in close collaboration with: Alliantie Zuiderwaterlinie, Staatsbosbeheer, NVTL, TU Delft, Rijksdienst Cultureel Erfgoed, Waterschap Aa en Maas, Municipality of ’s-Hertogenboschand the Province of North Brabant.

Design Team:
Merel van der Linden – Spatial Designer / Artist
Aleks Droog – Landscape Architect
Marcel Eekhout – Landscape Architect
Marnix van de Vijver – Imagineer / Interaction Designer
Tijmen Dekkers – Hydrologist

TIJMEN DEKKERS

Hydrologist, Deltae Innovation Solutions _

"In our team, new sparks kept emerging, and we gained energy every time we came together. That is especially important in a complex issue like water in such a large area. Everyone thinks a little differently and brings their own approach. That’s valuable."

PLAYING WITH LIGHT
Let it flow, it floats back to you!
Teaser Video

Let it flow, it floats back to you!

Set your own course or follow in the footsteps of someone else. Light grounds you. Light makes you consciously observe. Light provides space to move.

MARNIX set festival-goers in motion by allowing them to three-dimensionally paint with colored light among dozens of origami boats. The attendees of ‘Festival Voor het Voetlicht’ were immersed in a sea of light.

Come on Board, we’re expecting you.

The boats are crafted using the Japanese art of paper folding, Origami. It requires precision, patience, and a thorough understanding of geometry. In addition to patience and spatial understanding, the visitor’s own imagination, creativity, and playfulness contribute to the creation of a new world that was enthusiastically shared.

‘Let it flow’ proves to be a surprising encounter on the route from Het Huis van Waalwijk to the Hooisteeg Ateliers.