These OOH Billboards Embrace the Chaos of Tolhuistuin

Tolhuistuin in Amsterdam North is many things at once: it is a cultural podium, restaurant, creative workspace, expo place, hip-hop dance school, club, neighborhood library and, as the name suggests, a public garden. It is this proliferation of different things that makes Tolhuistuin so unique. And in a time in which Amsterdam is being raked and delineated more and more, it is exactly what we need. Therefore, in a campaign by KesselsKramer, Tolhuistuin embraces this essence of 'woekeren' — a Dutch word often used to describe the uncontrolled, unplanned spreading of wild plants—as a testament to the beauty of unpredictability.

With the positioning ‘Het woekert in Tolhuistuin’ (It proliferates in Tolhuistuin), Tolhuistuin shows that letting go of control can sometimes be a very good thing. After all, things often only get really interesting when things turn out differently. Then you can be surprised, and learn something new. Exactly why art and culture is so important for the city.

Matthea de Jong, director of Tolhuistuin, says: "Tolhuistuin is a place for all kinds of arts, people and cultures, with a strong social signature and a focus on the relationship between people and nature. ‘Woekeren’ is a fantastic metaphor to tell that story". 

To celebrate this controlled chaos, KesselsKramer translates everything that happens in Tolhuistuin into a repositioning campaign with its own visual style. In line with the concept, this is not a tightly organised campaign, but a celebration of randomness and spontaneity. 

"If you want to celebrate randomness, you have to show it in everything: from communication to design," says Gijs van den Berg, creative director KesselsKramer. "We don't highlight one part of Tolhuistuin, but everything, simultaneously and interchangeably. To really let go of control, we developed a generative design tool for the design that further visually translates, reinforces and communicates this idea.