City dressing

The city is their canvas. Urban architecture is their medium. Instead of paint they use stickers, flags, foil wrap, lights and large-scale prints. For 25 years, Madje Vollaers and Pascal Zwart have been trailblazing pioneers in the artistic no man's land between sculpture, fashion and graphic design. They transformed Amsterdam's inner city for both the coronation and marriage of King Willem-Alexander and Maxima, created the visual identity for North Sea Jazz Festival and Drum Rhythm Nights, and outfitted the country's tallest building with a starry sky. Their innovative brand of creativity had been dubbed 'city dressing'. It entails a total transformation of the everyday public domain, temporarily submerging viewers in a wonderful world making them see the city anew. Studio VollaersZwart celebrates life itself. And everybody is invited to the party. 'As artists they picked a different, new role for themselves and even managed to create a position for themselves in the Dutch design sector. They redefined festivity's architecture.' Sjarel Ex, Director of Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen