Clambering was developed for Circles of Universal Language, an exhibition presented during Dutch Design Week 2024 by the municipality of Eindhoven in collaboration with Dutch Invertuals and EDHV. The project explores play and exploration as a universal language: a way for people to meet, move and relate to one another without needing a fixed instruction.

The work takes the form of a digital rock formation, designed to function both as a shelter and a play area. It invites people of different ages to climb, explore, pause and meet. Rather than presenting a sculpture to be viewed from a distance, Clambering proposes a form that becomes meaningful through physical interaction.

The project starts from a simple but familiar impulse: the urge to climb, discover and play. By creating a sculptural form that feels approachable and climbable, the work opens space for spontaneous encounters. People can come together at their own pace, through movement, curiosity and shared presence.

Within Clambering, Ralf’s digital sculptural language is translated to the scale of public space. Faceted surfaces, openings and landscape-like volumes suggest a form shaped between digital modelling and bodily use. The object can be read as sculpture, terrain, shelter, playground or meeting place, depending on how it is approached.

Clambering reflects on the role of public objects as social structures. Instead of prescribing one function, it creates conditions for use: a place to gather, climb, sit, observe or pass through. In that openness, play becomes a way of connecting.