Part one of a two part reflection on Timer and the city that shaped him

TRACK 2025 ran at Theater Rotterdam from 10 to 14 September 2025 and turned the building into a two hour walk through movement, sound and city life. It was never meant to be a standard theater visit. The route moved through corridors, studios, stairwells and the streets outside, where dance, music, fashion and performance appeared without warning. The program was shaped by artistic director Alida Dors and co produced by Tjon Rockon.

One of the quiet threads running through the experience was a tribute to Timer, the Rotterdam street artist whose clocks and raw line work shaped the visual rhythm of the city. Timer was my brother, Gregory Oron. He grew up in the hip hop and graffiti scene of Rotterdam and left a mark that still moves through the city long after he passed away in November 2024.

Dors brought together a group of artists who offered an early look at the season ahead. Choreographers Alice Ripoll and Cheroney Pelupessy, theatermaker Dionne Verwey, the collective Grande Loge and musician Kay Slice each carried their own artistic language. Together they created an evening that felt layered and open, as if the building itself was speaking through them.

The theme, Sample, Scratch and Rewind, reflected the way hip hop treats memory and time. Earlier works returned in new forms, future ideas appeared as fragments and influences from different continents and generations blended into a single route.

TRACK 2025 acknowledged Timer through digital clocks placed along the route. They appeared without explanation, echoing the way his tags once lived in Rotterdam: visible to some, unnoticed by others, always part of the landscape.

“It is a subtle nod to Timer,” co producer Tjon Rockon said at the time. “You move through the building and then out into the city. Along the way you see clocks. Some people notice them, others walk past. That is how his work existed here. Everywhere, but not always seen. At the start of the route there is even a moment where we talk about time itself.”

The entire run sold out quickly. For those who walked the route, the experience became more than a preview of a new season. With distance, it reads as an early public moment of recognition for an artist whose influence continues to grow.

TRACK 2025 became the point where a quiet tribute opened the door to a larger conversation about legacy, memory and the place Timer holds in the city.

This reflection continues in Part 2, where the story moves toward Stichting Timer.