Tijn van Heerden & Erik Swetter (printed by Geola)
Vanitas is the Latin for vanity, in the sense of emptiness or a worthless action.
‘Vanity of Vanities, saith the preacher, all is vanity’ (Ecclesiastes 12:8).
The implication of these words from the old Testament is that all human action is transient in contrast to the everlasting nature of faith.
In this hologram objects which suggest human achievements, like the book and instruments, are related to reminders of mortality: the lamp which has been snuffed out and the skull is a reminder of the certainty of death; rotten fruit, which symbolises decay; bubbles, which symbolise the suddenness of death; smoke and hourglasses, which symbolise the brevity of life, and musical instruments, which symbolise the ephemeral nature of life.