Levenslicht: 104,000 Luminescent Stones Commemorate Holocaust Victims in the Netherlands

Studio Roosegaarde has created Levenslicht, a temporary monument consisting of 104,000 luminescent stones to commemorate the victims of the Holocaust in the Netherlands. Commissioned by the Nationaal Comité 4 en 5 mei, the installation was inaugurated in Rotterdam on January 26, 2020, and will travel to 170 municipalities across the country. The work marks the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz concentration camp. The stones are painted with a special fluorescent pigment that, under ultraviolet light, glow intermittently like a heartbeat or breath. Daan Roosegaarde, founder of Studio Roosegaarde, stated, 'It was an honor for me to receive the request to work on this project. Levenslicht is not a traditional static monument that people can only look at; it requires participation. Light is life, light is hope.'