This large wooden sculpture in glass arbour, harbours many stories. It borrows the shape of a castle with two wings, but is also a seated woman. It stands in a landscape of sand with a trio of ships. Aja Waalwijk collects, associates and combines all kinds of materials, often found and brought from all over the world.

In 1993, this project was displayed at the Stedelijk Museum as part of the Ruigoord exhibition in the then-new Sandberg Wing. It then travelled to exhibitions abroad, and to Ruigoord within the Nomadisch Museum, a travelling initiative by the artist. This majestic lady returns temporarily to the heart of Ruigoord for Oase van Verwondering, seated in her own gazebo.

Aja Waalwijk (1952) has been inextricably linked to Ruigoord and its Amsterdams Ballon Gezelschap for many decades. He works in front of and behind the scenes on all kinds of Ruigoord projects, symposia, trips, festivals and celebrations.

Waalwijk grew up in Zwanenburg, published articles mainly on visual art and free cultural spaces in Streven, Bres, Staatskrant and Amsterdam Alternatief (A.A.), among others. He also compiled the book !00 seizoenen Ruigoord in collaboration with Ted Doorgeest, published The Emerging Network of Autonomous Zones in 2014 and released several CDs as a singer/lyricist. Waalwijk organises exhibitions and the monthly poetry slam for poets in Room 100.