Share in the chair at the [s]TATTOO studio – and leave with a personal artwork
We often feel at ease in a salon chair, and the conversation soon starts to flow. That feeling will be recreated in the coming weeks in the [s]TATTOO pop-up studio. Students and staff can share their thoughts, feelings or worries – and will leave with an artwork based on their story.
Allow someone to listen
Not quite, because the aim of the [s]TATTOO studio is slightly different, explains creator and artist Maze de Boer from Art Partner. ‘People sit in the chair and talk with an artist who listens and asks open questions about what life is like here at Leiden University, how they’re feeling, what the atmosphere is like and so on. From that conversation, we’ll create an artwork in the form of a drawing or poem. You can then have it engraved onto a sticker or object like a phone case, water bottle or coffee cup.’
With a bit of mental gymnastics, [s]TATTOO can be read as ‘sta toe’, the Dutch for ‘allow’. It reflects the idea that students and staff allow someone else to hear their experiences. The idea for the studio came from the question: Where do people open up when someone is literally close by? ‘I immediately thought of a hairdresser’s or tattoo studio’, says De Boer.
[s]TATTOO offers an unconventional way to listen, spark conversations and discover what’s happening at the university. It is touring different faculties in March and April and will bring together the experiences of students and staff from across the university.
Deep conversation
Second-year law students Amy and Bilena are the first to take a seat. As they talk, the artists jot down occasional notes. You don’t need to arrive with a specific problem or question. The artists will ask you gentle, open questions – about your work or studies, and what you like or value about them.
‘You end up having a deep conversation without even realising it’, says Bilena afterwards. ‘It works so well because if someone sits opposite you and says, “Tell me everything”, you’re more likely to clam up.’
Amy chooses to have the poem the artist wrote for her engraved on her water bottle. ‘He really captured our chat beautifully.’ She encourages students and staff to visit the studio themselves. ‘You don’t have to go deep if you don’t want to, but you can talk about aspects of your life that you carry with you. And the artist sees it in a way you might not have considered.’
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Artist Maze de Boer behind the engraving table. -
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Talk more often about how we’re doing
The conversations are anonymous, De Boer emphasises. ‘The only thing we ask is whether someone is a student or a member of staff. Their stories can be intense or fascinating. Some people have tears in their eyes as they wait at my engraving table.’
And what will happen to all the stories? ‘At the end, we artists will get together and reflect on what we’ve heard. Once we’ve visited all the locations, we’ll bring the material together so we can give something back to the university that sheds light on what’s happening here, and whether this feels like a welcoming place for students and staff.’
And apart from the stories the studio collects, the engraved objects themselves will become conversation starters. ‘Someone might see the artwork on your coffee cup or water bottle and ask about it’, says De Boer. ‘And then, hopefully, we’ll talk more often about how we’re doing, and it’ll have a ripple effect.’
Visit the [s]TATTOO pop-up studio
Come and chat about what's on your mind in the [s]TATTOO studio! No need to register beforehand. The [s]TATTOO studio is open from 10:00 to 16:00 on the following dates at the following places:
- Tuesday 10 March: van Steenis, Einsteinweg 2
- Tuesday 7 April: Wijnhaven Turfmarkt 99
- Tuesday 14 April: Herta Mohr, Witte Singel
- Thursday 16 April: Agora, Wassenaarseweg 52
The date for visiting the studio at the Gorlaeus location will be announced later.
Still need to talk?
If you feel the need to talk with someone from the university after your conversation in the (s)TATTOO-studio, you can use the supports services or helplines, for example a confidential counsellor:
Text: Evelien Flink
Photos: Danique ter Horst