A Creative Collision: The Plaque at Kadoelenwerf Marina

Last year, I accidentally crashed my boat into the dock at Kadoelenwerf Marina, the very place where I had just finished restoring it. The harbor master was going through a stressful period, and I was told that the damage would cost me at least €800 in repairs.

Instead of paying for the restoration, I offered an alternative: a brass plaque etched with the following inscription:

“This plaque serves to obscure the damage caused by Domenique Himmelsbach de Vries’ legendary and utterly stupid collision with this dock on 21-10-2017.”

The harbor master agreed—he appreciated the shared story and the humor behind it. At the same time, I learned how to etch brass, creating a new piece of public art in the process. For me, this is a perfect example of how to creatively navigate problems while also saving a few hundred euros.

This was a practical-level creative solution. Through my public art interventions, I aim to inspire myself and others—colleagues, participants, audiences, and passersby—to approach life with creativity, to intervene in their surroundings, and to “hack” problems in unexpected ways.