Utrecht, Netherlands, 11-02-2021 -  National War Cemetery Loenen in the Netherlands has a brand new memorial and educational center, which was officially opened by King Willem-Alexander at the end of 2020. Dutch experience design agency Tinker imagineers was commissioned to design a permanent exhibition, part of which is located in a multifunctional space and therefore had to be movable. The first part of the exhibition focuses on stories of Dutch war victims and the deployment of the Dutch during international (peace) missions. Visitors encounter the relatives of war victims through mirrors, confronting them with the idea that this could have been about themselves. The stories show how sorrow lingers after so many years and often continues to play out across multiple generations. Visitors are constantly aware of their own reflection while looking at this piece.

Meanwhile, a projection with various clips on one of the walls offers a perspective of war and peace back then and today. The adjacent room puts the spotlight on the veterans and tells the story of military missions that the Netherlands has contributed to since 1947.

Meeting the Relatives of War Victims
The first room boasts six mirrors that display the relatives of victims. They look you in the eye and talk about their loved one buried at Loenen National War Cemetery. Visitors go face to face with the survivors of Anton de Kom (resistor), Ben Buunk (escapee to England), Philip Schwarz (Jewish victim of persecution), Anda Kerkhoven (resistor), Raviv van Renssen (military, perished in Srebrenica), and Timo Smeehuijzen (military, perished in Afghanistan).

Personal Stories of Veterans
In the second room, you will find all military missions since 1947 that involved a Dutch contribution. In addition to a factual overview of the missions, this piece tells the personal stories of veterans. What were the considerations of Dutch soldiers to go and put their lives at risk in a faraway land? The room contains an interactive touch screen tablet with a large world map. The table acts as an interactive database of missions that involved the Dutch military between 1947 and today. Some missions are accompanied by an interview with a veteran.

Technical sheet

Client: War cemetery foundation

Year: 2020

Exhibition design: Tinker imagineers

Set construction: Brandwacht & Meijer

Interactives: Yipp

Av production: Tinker imagineers

Av hardware: Phanta vision

About Loenen National War Cemetery
Almost 4,000 Dutch war victims are buried at Loenen National War Cemetery, each with their own story. These stories come to life during a visit to the field of honor and the exhibit in the new center. The ‘Oorlogsgravenstichting’ (War Cemetery Foundation) wants to share these stories to convey the message that peace, liberty, and safety are not self-evident. 

Loenen National Veterans Cemetery
Adjacent to the Loenen National War Cemetery, you will find the veteran cemetery where veterans and their partners, if so desired, are buried or their ashes scattered. The memorial and educational center was designed by KAAN Architecten and doubles as an exhibit and an auditorium for veteran funerals.

About Tinker imagineers
Tinker imagineers is a Dutch agency for creative consultancy and experience design. We bring ideas to life in exhibitions, events, pavilions, and multi-media theatres. We take on research, project development, design, AV and multimedia, as well as production. Tinker was founded in 1991 and is located in Utrecht. In 2018 founders Erik Bär and Stan Boshouwers published the first book on immersive experience design, the art of creating spaces that tell a story. The book Worlds of Wonder - experience design for curious people, describes the What, the Why and the How of this exciting new way of communication.