Menno began on Industrial Design in 2003, Ruben in 2005. “It was actually because of Menno that I got the idea, but I did choose this program myself”, says Ruben. “It came in handy that I could already catch a glimpse of how things went, I probably had a better insight into the study as a result.” Menno: “When he also came to study here, I thought for a minute: hang on, can’t he just go and study Spanish or something? But I did not really mind. And it actually does make sense: we come from the same family, have had the same liberal, progressive education and this study program fits in well with that.”

Meanwhile Ruben has caught up with Menno, and consequently they are both in the final stage of their Bachelor’s program. When both of them ended up on the fourth floor of the Hoofdgebouw for their final project, Menno said to Ruben: “Hey Ruub, we are on the fourth floor, do you know what that makes us? 2 Brothers on the 4th Floor.”

In contrast to the dance-producers duo from the 1990s Ruben and Menno are not into music. Ruben is getting to the final stage of his tea machine with a stress-alleviating function, while Menno is developing a game controller for the X-box that you control with your feet. Can they benefit from each other? Ruben: “Yes, Menno is a genuine source of reflection. That has nothing to do with the fact that we are brothers, though. It is always good anyhow to see if someone else can shed a different light on your project.” Menno: “However, we do not really work together on it. I would not allow that, as I prefer to do everything myself. Ruben is easier in that respect.”

The brothers have always been close, also when they were little. They often played with Lego together or were racing through Dordrecht on their BMX bikes. Sometimes this went wrong. Menno: “You remember? I had adjusted your brakes once, because we wanted to make a cool skid. But I had also tightened the front brakes really well. So he shows up at home with a huge graze on his head; he had overturned”, says Menno, with a grin. (SK)