Audio walks in the Wilhelminapark in Breda

Art platform Witte Rook is working on an innovative multi-year art project in Wilhelminapark in Breda. Together with residents, artists, and the municipality, Witte Rook develops creative interventions for a new perspective on the park. Sustainability, stories, and experience are important aspects of this project.

Audio walks

The art project consists of an increasing number of audio walks, developed by various artists. They used creative technology to give Wilhelminapark a new look.
Currently, two of these sound artworks are ready and can be experienced as you walk through the park. All you need is a phone with the Echo app installed. Then, you can enjoy the artwork using earbuds or headphones. Read more below about the two audio walks

Vibrant Radio - Paul Devens

White Rook asked Paul Devens to investigate the identity of Wilhelminapark using audio recordings. The result is the audio artwork Vibrant Radio, a portrait of the park in which you experience it through heard and unheard sounds.

Paul Deven recorded the sounds with special microphones, radio receivers and other detectors and composed a piece from them. It consists of sounds from underwater and electric cars to all forms of flora and fauna in the park. People also appear in the composition.

How do you listen to this artwork?
The title Vibrant Radio means ‘lively’. To experience the work, you must not stand still, but walk through the park wearing your headphones. The musical piece lasts 19 minutes and 25 seconds, exactly the time it takes to walk around the park. You can start the walk at any location near Wilhelminapark.

Practical information
Download the free app ‘Echoes’ on your phone. Allow the app to access your location, otherwise it won’t work. Tap start or stream walk, and begin walking.

More about Vibrant Radio by Paul Devens

Getting Sighted - Dorien de Wit

Dorien de Wit created a new audio work called Uit Zicht Raken for the Wilhelminapark in Breda. It invites the user to experience the park in a new way. Uit Zicht Raken gives a voice to the paths, users, residents, roots and birds of the park. It is an sensory walk, where language, heritage and ecology come together. The sound composition enables perception, memory and imagination to merge.

Unique meaning
Dorien began her creative process with in-depth observations and listening exercises, supported by historical research and conversations with experts and residents. She discovered that the park holds a unique significance for every visitor, ranging from views to personal memories. As a walker, you can experience the story in multiple voices during a 25-minute walk.

How can you listen to Uit Zicht Raken?
The composition is available via the Echoes app. Which activates Uit Zicht Raken based on GPS.

More about Losing Sight of Dorien de Wit

About the Wilhelminapark

Wilhelminapark was established at the end of the 19th century. Prior to that, there were defensive moats here, which designer Leonard Springer incorporated into the design. Hence the 'serpentine' shape of the ponds. The park was completed in 1894 and was named after the then 14-year-old Queen Wilhelmina, who visited Breda.

The park consists of two ponds with walking paths around them. There are notable trees, including a hanging trumpet tree, which, due to its age, hangs horizontally over one of the ponds.

In Wilhelminapark, you will find three memorial sites that commemorate the Second World War: