Dirk Denoyelle turns 55 today: time to celebrate! As it turns out, Dirk shares his birthday with the famous artist Sting, who turns 68 and the late Mahatma Gandhi, who would be 150 years old today.
The connection between Dirk and Gandhi
We hear you thinking: why are you comparing Dirk to great Gandhi? Well, that's an interesting story. Last year Amazings presented several works of art at the expo in Koksijde. One of those LEGO® artworks was a parody on one of the most famous paintings by Peter Paul Rubens: The Adoration of the Magi. The mosaic stood 4,62 meters tall and was 3,47 meters wide. It was slightly bigger than the original because it needed support from LEGO® baseplates.The Amazings team replaced the heads of the original characters by heads of more recent wisemen and creative/alternative thinkers. When you translate the word "Magi" into Dutch, you get "wise people". One of the heads in the mosaic is the head of Mahatma Gandhi. And that is where the paths of Dirk and Gandhi intersect. His birthday is celebrated annually by admirers of Gandhi as International Day of Non-violence.
Back to the roots
But in those 55 years, Dirk has done much more than building LEGO® art. Before he founded Amazings, Dirk was a full-time comedian and imitator. He used to fill the halls, and he still does.5 fun facts about Dirk's career
- In 1996, Dirk attended the opening of the new Flemish Parliament building in Brussels, where he imitated Annemie Neyts, Wilfried Martens and Louis Tobback. This YouTube-video showcases the many politicians he can flawlessly imitate. So impressive!
- Dirk guest-starred in an episode of the Flemish TV series 'F.C. De Kampioenen'. You can watch his appearance here.
- In the Flemish version of the 'Harry Potter' movies, Dirk voiced no less than three characters: Hagrid, Voldemort and Sirius Black. Watch Dirk tell about his experience in this video.
- Dirk is also a gifted singer, as he proved by imitating well-known Belgian artists as Stef Bos, Jacques Brel and Clouseau's Koen Wauters.
- In 2009 Dirk received the exclusive label of 'LEGO® Certified Professional'. He was only the second European and the 7th person in the world to receive this title.
Amazings aims to inspire everyone to build, create and enjoy! And that's where it all started for Dirk. When he received his daughter's first box of LEGO®, he felt the nostalgia and started making art himself. That brings us back to today. Dirk hasn't lost his sense of humor and entertainment. Together with his colleagues, he organizes team building sessions where everyone can learn to make their own work of art. He also gives motivational speeches to inspire current and future generations and he will not give up quickly in the coming years!
Just like Gandhi, Dirk is an inspiring person that people can learn a lot from. We have nothing more to say than:
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DIRK DENOYELLE!
