Merlijn Twaalfhoven

Working on witnessed presence was not easy. The information that was already available was very diverse and for me it was hard to find the right connections with the existing material. Like in normal life, everybody has his private experience and it's a challenge to feel the points of connection and to truly create a kind of resonance between thoughts, and more important: deeds. I went to describe my experiences on the topic, connecting my personal lifestyle to my professional ambitions. This proved to be very inspiring for me. But I feel it is only a first part of the work. I believe it's not a statement, but the first phrase of a dialogue. The second part is for you: reader, researcher or passer-by. You can create connections between my writings and other topics, articles, contributions. These connections will improve the value of this project. It will provide direction into the matter for others. The urgency to read my texts might come from another article that needs illustration or explanation. Vice versa, I believe other elements will illustrate or deepen my theories, thoughts and experiences. You are the right person to create these connections. Just by leaving your traces, you build the web of meanings and interpretations that will become more and more meaningful. The challenge of this project is to remain a work in progress!