Nine dreams for our future, projected onto the walls of the Van Sijpesteijntunnel in Utrecht.
Graffiti Utopia is a participatory light art project in which dreams for our shared future are visualised as animated projections. The work was commissioned by I Light U festival and is on display in the Van Sijpesteijntunnel in Utrecht, one of the busiest connections between Utrecht Centraal and the city centre. Thousands of people pass through every day.
People whose voices are often overshadowed by a louder majority were invited to share their story: people experiencing homelessness, refugees building a new life, activists fighting for a safer city. In personal interviews, they spoke freely about what they hope for, not just for themselves, but for the world we share. Without exception, their dreams were about connection, safety, and care for each other and our surroundings.
Each story was carefully matched to a visual artist who felt a personal connection to the theme. Graffiti artists, tattoo artists, animators and illustrators, each bringing their own visual language to the work. Rather than illustrating the stories literally, they created their own interpretation of the dream: a personal response in colour, form and movement.
The nine works each stand on their own, but together form something larger: a many-voiced image of a shared future. Stories hanging side by side in the tunnel, showing that the dreams of another may not be so different from your own.
The result is nine animated light graffiti works, brought together in a space that many experience as anonymous and unwelcoming. Stories and dreams that can break through that feeling. The work was extended after the festival and is on display throughout 2026.
“Walking through the tunnel with my son, we always linger a little longer, watching the illustrations take shape and reading the stories behind them. It sparks conversations about the lives of others around us and their dreams, which I find deeply valuable.”
— Anouk, visitor
CONCEPT, DIRECTION & DESIGN
Beeldjutters
Vincent Vriens
Julian van Buul
TECHNICAL PRODUCTION
Sebastiaan Schoonen
INTERVIEWS
Olga Verheijden
INTERVIEWEES
Abdallah
Astrid
Bedros
Daphne
John
Julie
Kristel
Shaqi
Tonie
VISUAL ARTISTS
DST
Eva Sijstermans
Kitzia Sámano
Lost Echoes
Medusart
Miguel Vieira
Mora Salvaje
retrokoelkast
suus.inkt
TECHNICAL SUPPORT
Lodewijk Kieft
Vic Raijmakers
COMMUNICATION
Monica Gutiérrez Benavides
VIDEO
Jitske Nap
PHOTOGRAPHY
André Russcher
Fred van den Wijngaard
COMMISSIONED BY
I Light U festival
SPECIAL THANKS
Stichting Recycleforlife: Andries Bijkerk
Escape Motions, Rebelle 8
Buddy 2 Buddy: Lola Michels
Straatkrant St Maarten: Frank Dries
Lolab: Monica Gutiérrez Benavides
I Light U: Mattijn Boerkamp, Bastiaan Schoof