A Visual Alphabet of Veenhuizen

The strict hierarchy that dominated life in Veenhuizen is still visible on the prison village facades. Subtle differences in rhythm, design and decoration provide information about the social status of the former inhabitants. ‘Vormt’ (Dutch for ‘shapes’) is a visual alphabet that uses a collection of symbols inspired by the urban environment of Veenhuizen to create various patterns. The stories that have arisen here are interwoven in these patterns. Rather than a static system, Vormt simply suggests an abstract visual identity of an environment. The multiple possibilities within the patterns allow for uniformity as well as unicity.