Yvon Meeuwsen 

Day in and day out, we are bombarded with external stimuli. Whether it’s the influence of other people or the images presented to us through the internet, social media, and advertisements, we are constantly being measured against them. In that constant stream, it seems as though we hide parts of ourselves in order to conform to what is expected of us. One result of this is that we become estranged from ourselves and, as a result, are unable to form genuine connections. A longing arises to reconnect with ourselves and our surroundings. 

What helps me reconnect with my authentic self is making music. To be specific, playing the saxophone in a show and marching band. The saxophone feels like an extension of myself, a means through which I can express my feelings and thoughts. The vibrations originating from the tones of the instrument resonate through my entire body. When I make music, I experience a sense of intense connection with my instrument, the music, my fellow musicians, and the audience. As soon as everything comes together at the right moment, a magical moment is created.  
It’s not just making music that brings this feeling; listening has this gift as well. Just think about attending a concert. How you stand among people you don’t know at all, yet there’s such a strong sense of connection tangible in the room. This creates such a special feeling.  

I define this feeling as resonance. It’s like a force that opens us up just a little, allowing our true selves to shine through. It can feel very overwhelming at first, but as you spend more time with it, a stronger connection to your authentic self emerges. This allows you to reconnect with your own feelings, thoughts, and memories so that you can be fully yourself. As a result, the more open we are to ourselves, the more open we can be to one another. 

During my graduation project, I researched whether I could stimulate resonance in a spatial context. I’m trying to answer this question partly by building on a one-to-one basis and creating a personal archive. In this archive, I analyze projects that do or do not evoke a sense of resonance in me, resulting in an overview of elements that could stimulate resonance, while I sought relationships between those elements and how they can reinforce one another.  

A few key factors that emerged from the research are composition, interaction, and sensory elements. I have therefore incorporated these factors into a spatial experiment as a quest for balance, in order to investigate whether I can stimulate a resonance experience in the visitor. 

yvonmeeuwsen@gmail.com