On Tuesday afternoon, RVDK’s Creative Collective transformed rowing club De Hoop into a stage for a manifesto in motion. Under the title HOPE, Ronald van der Kemp joined forces with De KinderKunstBiënnale van De Rode Loper op School to deliver a performance that blended couture, protest and play with children leading the charge.
The catwalk opened with a parade of young professionals in the making. Schoolchildren marched the deck with the confidence of seasoned professionals, striking poses as if the catwalk had always belonged to them. They wore their own creations: doodled leather vests, patchwork denim, fishnet-strapped overalls, tulle skirts that toyed with tradition. Kites bobbed in the air as one child strutted past with a golden megaphone, hollering with the authority of a show director calling in the sunrise.
Meanwhile, a man in a spiked yellow helmet and flag-stitched shorts took centre stage, swept a flag from the deck, wrapped it around himself and climbed the stairs. With a dramatic dive into the river, he released a giant yellow balloon that had been anchored in the water. As it rose skyward, the audience gasped. The sun had officially risen over the Amstel.
The children were having the time of their lives. “We made everything ourselves,” one beamed. “We didn’t get to choose our outfit, but if we didn’t like it, we just swapped.” Their logic was simple, their joy infectious, and the AFW crowd loved every minute of it. Pirates, rockstars, all hands on deck: the kids had remixed couture in their own image and the result was both riotous and sincere.
For an audience used to runway shows and it-crowds, this was something else entirely. The children were taken seriously, their work applauded, their fun undeniable. HOPE arrived not as a lofty statement but as laughter, kites and a rising sun.
#RVDK #AFW #modemeteenboodschap #kinderkunstbiennale #kunsteducatie
