Quote and design: Marnix van de Poll

In 2021 I walked from the Netherlands to Portugal, via Santiago de Compostela. My first and longest pilgrimage. Along the way I met many inspiring people. Halfway through France, during such a meeting, we talked about the question: who or what is god? In conversations, with highly charged words like god, we assume that we understand the other. But do we really?

For my fellow pilgrim, the answer was: The communication between people. The days after that, that question kept going through my head. What would be my answer? Then suddenly there was the quote.

A few years later, on my third pilgrimage, I was on top of a mountain, alone, a little off the route. Around me view of mountains, as far as I could see. It was completely quiet, no cars in the distance, no people, no wind through trees, a totally serene atmosphere. I was already on my way for three weeks, walking daily. My head went empty, thoughts came to a standstill. After an hour on that mountain, I only felt an intense gratitude for life.

Fast forward 2024. I stayed for three months in Buenos Aires, to train the Argentine tango, the dance that is. When there, I got invited to participate as an improvising pianist in an experimental performance night in the National Contemporary Museum, MACBA. For this I needed an outfit. Inspired by art in the Modern Art Museum, I designed this T-Shirt. Since then, more and more people want a copy too. 

And now you can have yours!