Eye of the Storm

During the Wereld van de Witte de With festival in 2005, Rob Sweere presented Eye of the Storm alongside Drone and Lightspace. This installation invited visitors to sit inside a specially designed, enclosed capsule with a circular opening to the sky. The capsule accommodated a small group of people at a time, who together gazed upward in complete silence, focused on the shifting image of the sky. The experience was intense and intimate, transforming the everyday act of looking up into a conscious, almost ritual moment of collective stillness.

The title Eye of the Storm refers to the calm center of a storm — a place of peace amid chaos. That contrast, between the bustle of the festival and the stillness inside the capsule, was essential to the work. The installation was strategically placed at the edge of the festival area, in a quiet spot near the Leuvehaven and the Maritime Museum. This location, close to the water and slightly removed from the crowds, allowed the work’s meditative power to fully unfold.

This work, too, was produced by Mothership on behalf of September in Rotterdam. Eye of the Storm demonstrated how art in public space can be more than a visual spectacle — it can also create a space for introspection and connection, both with oneself and with others.