Summary in English:

As an outreach to the new students in the city, Tout Maastricht invites them on the road to Maastricht Cultural Capital of Europe 2018. Place to be is the Inkom 2012, Culture Valley. The artist William Otermans makes a “mother sculpture” in which “something new” comes into being as a result of the input from the students. The shape of the sculpture corresponds with a womb, the process of cell division. The role of the water is important for the link between the new and the old, for the connection of Maastricht with the rest of Europe and the world. The heart of the sculpture is a ball, a drop of water. The ball is the symbol for the new that grows in Maastricht resulting from the contributions of the students.
The new students will be asked whether they want to be the parent of this new ‘life’ by giving their ‘DNA’ by means of their laugh. The laugh emerges from a joyful memory of ‘home’ and is transmitted to the sculpture in a ritual, the ris-tual. The ‘skin’ of the sculpture is composed of the memories from the students.
The name of the sculpture is “C’est Maman”; it can grow during the years uptill 2018. What “the new” exactly is, will unfold itself in the course of time.
The source of this concept is the painting “ST. El-La-Ma-Ris, Umbilical with the Universe” from William Otermans.
The ris-tual is as follows: the students paint a laugh in a certain shape on their face with red facial paint. They take a moment of time to connect consciously with ‘home’, and by doing so, calling a precious memory to mind. The students ‘catch’ the laugh emerging from
this act, in a wet white cloth. The artist attaches this cloth with print to the sculpture. Participants are free to decide whether they want to proceed their visit to Culture Valley with facial paint on, or to wipe it off.