'De Letters van Utrecht' or the infinite poem of Utrecht
The Old Canal (Oudegracht) is one of the busiest arteries in Utrecht. As we move along its shore, cafes and restaurants follow one after another, while people walk with and against the current of the water.
Evening falls and the university atmosphere is noticeable: toasts with mugs of beer are muffled by the music of the bars, which invites you to move in their direction.
We begin to walk and see a letter on the ground, and another, and another. A sinuous snake that seems to have no end embedded in the stones of the canal: it is _ The Letters of Utrecht (De Letters van Utrecht), _ an endless poem that began to be written in 2012 and every Saturday afternoon one more letter is added to its verses.
The Letters of Utrecht will continue as long as there are Saturdays and future citizens support it
The Letters of Utrecht were born from a meeting between Ingmar Heytze and Michael Münker in which they planned the construction of a stone clock, inspired by the 10,000 year old clock of the Long Now van Danny Hillis and the Long Now Foundation.
The concept was improved and perfected thanks to the combination of many ideas, people and sources of inspiration.
The Utrecht poets guild (until now composed of seven people) is in charge of writing this peculiar work, each one having a limit of 52 letters per year. The carvers of the local Lettertijd guild are in charge of chiseling the letters on the stone.
Although writing began in 2012, the beginning was moved to January 1, 2000 so that more words could be added to the poem and people would be aware of the project.
Reuben van Gogh he was the poet who wrote the first lines. The poets were passing the baton to each other. The seventh is the Iraqi-Dutch Baban Kirkuki.
The goal is to engulf the city indefinitely, as long as the inhabitants support it. The shape of the poem is planned to form the letters UT and the future citizens of Utrecht will decide the path of the verses to come.
The Letters van Utrecht foundation, a non-profit organization, is in charge of raising funds to continue the work and for good causes, most of it so far has gone to organizations that help people learn the local language.
“In the pavement of Utrecht there are year markers up to 2300, but the poem was born with the vocation to continue much more: as long as there are saturdays , comments Michael Münker of the Letters van Utrecht Foundation.
“This project is about building civilization, making it sustainable in the true sense of that word. As long as there are individuals exchanging information on this planet, this should be relevant. It seems inevitable that there will be an end of this world, either by religion or by physics, but perhaps we can avoid doing it ourselves, "explains Michael.
De Letters van Utrecht symbolizes the growth and evolution of knowledge as well as the importance of the actions of future citizens. A representation on stone of the past, the present and the future.
The requirements to be part of the group of authors of this endless poem at least one book of poetry must have been published and the proposed verses must be approved by the guild.
One of the ways to contribute to the financing of the project is sponsor a stone The mason will carve a special inscription on the stone. People usually do it to celebrate special occasions like weddings, anniversaries or birthdays.
The poem begins at number 279 of the Old Canal and already has 988 letters. The continuation of the poem that is not yet in the stone remains secret.
The first lines of the poem, translated from the Dutch, read:
You have to start somewhere to give the past a place, the present is less and less. The further away you are, the better. Go ahead now.
Leave your footprints. Forget the flash you can exist in, the world is your map. There was a time when you were someone else: it's over.
You are already the other. You are, as you know, the center of this story. This is eternity, it is time. Go into your story and reveal it. Tell her.
Tell us who you are with each step. In our history we disappear naturally, only you remain. You and these letters carved in stone. Like the letters on our grave.
The cracks in the cathedral tower. They grew up to the sky like an index finger to indicate guilt and ask for more time. So we can walk straight along the canal again.
Those who are looking at the feet. Look up! Look at the churches of Utrecht that stand out from the ground. Raise your hands, pray to the towers for this privilege: to be, now. The weather is nice.
She continues looking. Life witnesses your gaze on the horizon. Your footprints connect the past with written letters.