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7. THE LONGEST ROAD IS THE ROAD INWARDS 1993, three-dimensional medal, cast bronze, 75x74x64 mm, edition 27 (sold out) I was so impressed by this text by Dag Hammerskjøld, the former Secretary General of the United Nations, that I used it for two medals: one in the Dutch translation for a dancing academy, and this one in the English translation. On the side with the projection, you see a standing figure and a semi-profile, both of them half covered. The spiral is symbolic of the passage through life. The projecting part has an ear-like open space. This is a three-dimensional medal with four sides, each one of which has its own significance for me. One side of the projection makes a division between stillness and unrest, the sort of false clarity that comes when you begin to look inwards. On the other side there is a confused impression of spiral, obscurity and conflicting directions, of chaos trying to maintain its grip on you. Both sides reflect the turbulence we call life. The ear-like open space stands for listening to the chaos from the outside. As a person, you’re the one who makes the choices. A listening attitude causes a person to grow. The reverse is abstract: in movement, yet still. It represents the stillness you have to seek in yourself. coll.: Koninklijk Penningkabinet Leiden, Drents Museum Assen