Schijf - Second Term

Eight years later …

“No, we are not building something exactly the same, but it is very similar. It’s the same person, but eight years later. He has looked after himself whilst on the move. He is thriving.” At the beginning of the interview, Huub van Caam immediately addresses the controversial issue. Because the similarity of their design for Schijf to that of eight years ago (design by Huub, Maikel and Sander) is undeniable.

“We were visiting the Verbeke Foundation (ed. Museum for Moderne Art in Stekene, Belgium), it was wonderful. You come across something different every time and in this way we observed the reuse of material. At once, we also wanted to recycle something.” The team decided to reuse their previous design: “That was also fitting, exactly eight years ago. So: he is back and in what a way …! The headline in the daily national newspaper de Volkskrant was ‘Second Term’. That became the title.”

The dictator is eight years further into his absolute rule, he is not the same. He has undergone self-development. The atmosphere and experience of the float is totally different, even if he is once again celebrating his victory. The hypnotising spirals reappear, but the colour red has become more important, even dominant, just as his new logo which is strongly depicted on the banners. This dictator is no longer carried by hands. He is lying on an enormous plinth, on the sides of which LED screens play a video production specially designed for the float.

“We have already had so much fun in its preparation,” says Huub. He talks about the modest hamlet which didn’t quite know how to deal with the ‘Make Schijf Great Again’ campaign which was carried out to illustrate the design. However, they did know how to deal with the float. “This is a float with multiple side projects: skulls, banners, masks, movement, LED, the video clip.” Everyone was able to set to work. “The power of the community, that is very valuable. It is sometimes absent in our society.” But in Schijf and Zundert this can happily be found in abundance.

Disclaimer: All similarities with existing persons are pure coincidence.

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Huub van Caam (52) is coaching and consultancy trainer; this is his 28th design. Maikel van de Korput (38) is construction contractor, this is his 15th design. Sander van Hooydonk (31) is interior architect; this is his 11th design. Jens Arnouts (28) is project engineer; this is his 5th design.

Original Dutch Text: Miranda Eiting
Translation: Mary Tyne
Photo: Paul Ranft 

Hamlet Schijf
www.buurtschapschijf.nl

This article is brought to you by Corsief. An independent magazine about corsos in general and the Zundert flower parade in particular. The magazine is produced entirely by volunteers, who are all more or less active in the Zundert flower parade world. Corsief is entirely full-colour and appears four times a year.