De Brandgrens
Mothership, 2007, 2008
In 2007, Mothership was commissioned to create a visual representation of the fire boundary marking the Rotterdam bombing of May 14, 1940. The Brandgrens traces the perimeter of the area that was completely destroyed during the attack. Mothership developed a concept inspired by the work of artist Francis Alÿs. On May 14, 2007, 128 space cannons were positioned at strategic locations along the fire boundary. Their powerful beams of light shot straight into the sky, making the scale of the destruction strikingly visible — even from far beyond the city of Rotterdam.
The action lasted three hours and had a profound impact: for the first time, the bombing was commemorated on a grand and collective scale. Due to its overwhelming success and strong public engagement, De Brandgrens was repeated in 2008. Once again, the line of light illuminated the city center, further embedding the commemoration into Rotterdam’s collective consciousness.
De Brandgrens stretched across a total length of 12 kilometers and was realized with the support of Eneco and Deloitte Nederland, in artistic dialogue with Francis Alÿs. Mothership developed the concept, coordinated the project, and was ultimately responsible for its execution.
