Waterlicht

Taking place from May 11 to 13, Waterlicht covers the square's almost eight acres with wavy lines of light created by LED lighting, software and lenses. According to Roosegaarde, "Waterlicht shows how the Netherlands look like without waterworks, a virtual flood. Innovation is seen throughout our landscape, pushed by the waterworks and our history, but yet we’ve almost seem to forgotten this."

Although rooted in contemporary technologies, the art installation was inspired by a 17th century painting by Jan Asselijn that depicts a flood in Amsterdam in 1651. The painting was recently acquired by the Rijksmuseum, which overlooks the Museum Square. Both painting and light installation make explicit the Dutch situation of living underwater and the need for technology to make it happen.