Artist Xander Lenders delivers packages ‘incorrectly’ at Utrecht Science Park to encourage encounters between residents

Xander Lenders devised a low-threshold initiative for this purpose: the “Verkeerd bezorgd” project (“Wrongly Delivered” in English). At Utrecht Science Park, parcels were already delivered incorrectly in 2025 to encourage residents to connect with each other, and a new round of deliveries is starting this year. These are introductory parcels that residents are invited to open together. The contents—cups, tea, biscuits, question cards, and a game—give residents the opportunity to get to know each other better.

“I enjoy chatting with strangers and always find it enjoyable. I even invited my neighbors over for coffee, even though I live in a student house. Since then, we greet each other and chat occasionally, but more importantly, I feel more at home because I know the people around me,” says Lenders. He noted that striking up a conversation with a stranger isn’t something everyone takes for granted. During his job as a bicycle courier, he came up with the idea of ​​delivering wrong parcels, and that’s how the “Verkeerd bezorgd” project was born.

The previous edition of the project has already yielded significant results. From neighbors greeting each other and chatting occasionally, to residents participating in activities together, from taking a walk to a movie night. In the new edition, parcels will be delivered to the Casa Confetti residential tower at Utrecht Science Park in February. In addition to delivering parcels, several small interventions will be implemented to make an impact in the building in various ways, contributing to connections and greater social connection among residents. Think of the “yes yes, no, yes, no no” sticker, but with a social twist and an intervention on the elevator mirrors of the complex.

For more information, please contact Xander Lenders at xanderlenders.aanda@gmail.com.