An eternal gaze

This exceptional exhibition takes us to higher spheres. An eternal gaze explores our human longing to understand our world and our place in it. Using religious heritage as a guide, it leads us through stories of creation, transience and hope.

Where do we come from? Where are we going? Why are we here? The enigma of our origin.

Questions about the meaning of life and the mystery of our final destination have been asked since time immemorial. The answers we formulate give us something to cling to. They help to us to comprehend the incomprehensible and grasp the ungraspable. They give us a foothold, a place to call our own, in the infinitely larger cosmological narrative.

An eternal gaze examines how religion tackles such existential questions and the meaningful role that religious heritage can play in this. The exhibits in this exhibition reflect our unceasing desire to map out and shape our world and the cosmos.

It will soon become clear that the explanations put forward by religion simply make us pose new questions. Will we ever truly understand our existence? Moreover: do we even really want to unravel that mystery?

From beginning to end, this exhibition sets our minds on the infinite.

For this exhibition, PARCUM is collaborating with Dutch writer Marjolijn van Heemstra. Marjolijn engages in a fascinating dialogue with the themes and exhibits of the exhibition. With apt observations, reflecting current issues, she considers our human world view and our transience. Her reflections can be heard in the exhibition.

Marjolijn studied theology. She is currently working as a poet, writer, theatre maker, journalist and podcast author. Since 2019 she has written for Dutch website De Correspondent on how space exploration can give us a new perspective on the Earth.