‘ATQUI HAEC UNA STULTITIA ET IUNGIT, IUNCTOS ET SERUAT AMICOS’
(‘Yet it is only found that folly both ties and maintains friendships’)
From: Moriae Encomium (In Praise of Folly, 1511) by Desiderius Erasmus. (± 1466 - 1536)
The Erasmus Signature Wall is intended for everyone who graduates or receives a doctorate at Erasmus University Rotterdam or one of its legal predecessors. By having your signature put on the wall you can leave a lasting mark at your university. This is also a symbol for saying goodbye and yet staying connected to the univeristy at the same time. The Erasmus Signature Walls are located on Woudestein and Hoboken (Erasmus MC) campuses. The two signature walls form a unique piece of art consisting of thick laminated glass. The signatures seem to float between the layers of glass.
The signature wall at Woudestein
The Erasmus Signature Wall was a present from the Erasmus Alumni Association for the occasion of the 85th anniversary of the university in 1998. The designer of the wall, Annemoon Geurts, portrayed 140 randomly selected Rotterdam citizens wearing an Erasmus beret hat on the glass panels. The beret hat is a symbol of acquired wisdom, similar to the graduation hats that are still in use. The colored areas represent the colors of the seven Faculties (or Schools) of the Erasmus University in 1998. The oldest signature on this wall dates from 1918. Well-known alumni of the Erasmus University have also left their mark on this wall.
8 November 2017: Kristel Baele president Executive board, Alfred Pop president Foundation Signature Wall and Daniël Sikkens president Erasmus Alumni Association.
The signature wall at Hoboken (Erasmus MC)
In 2008, a similar signature wall was placed at Erasmus MC. This wall can be moved and is currently located in the courtyard of the faculty of medicine’s Education Centre. The signature wall at Erasmus MC consists of free-standing units, each with six panels of printed glass, on a steel base plate with LED lighting. This piece of art was also designed by Annemoon Geurts and was kept identical to the wall at Woudestein in as much as possible.
How to locate your signature?
The glass panels of the signature walls are numbered. Each signature is located within a unique combination of horizontal and vertical coordinates. You can download the overview of coordinates here:
Signature coordinates for the Woudestein wall panels 1 to 9.
Signature coordinates for the Hoboken wall (Erasmus MC).
Your name on the wall
To have your signature put on the wall please download the Registration and Application forms and email them to: eav@erasmusalumnivereniging.nl.
Once enough signatures have been collected, they will be engraved into the wall. We will contact you when your signature is added to the wall.
If you are a member of the Erasmus Alumni Association you can have your name put onto the wall for €20.00. Non-members pay €35.00. This is a one-off fee.
Please contact us on eav@erasmusalumnivereniging.nl if you have any questions or comments.
