Bands of Friendship by Saskia Hoks

Bands of Friendship, created by the two Indian architects Vikas Patil and Santosh Gujar, is a nice reflection of how people from outside the EU look at this continent, i.e. with hope and appreciation. The project is based on a typically present-day phenomenon: the colourful bands of friendship girls and boys (and also many men and women) wear around their wirsts to confirm their friendship or to show that they?re supporting a good cause. These are the bands of friendship the title refers to, nine of them in as many colours.

Bands of Friendship symbolizes endless friendship and has been positioned in such a way that the spectator may look at them from different angles with changing meanings from every perspective. If you look at them sidelong, the rings are still separate, individual and unattached, independent like the countries within the European Union. But move aside, and slowly but surely the rings become attached; the Union gains form. A few more steps bring you right in front of the entrance to the rings and you look into the multicoloured tunnel of progress and prosperity, the ideal Europe stands for. The artists, both architects, hope that this work, abstract and figurative at the same time, will incite people on the one hand, to enlarge their own circle of friends as much as possible, and on the other hand to remain positive about Europe?s ideals.