Drach

2017, installation, peat, soil, wood, carpet, clay extruder, posters (30 x 45 cm), concrete, glass, tree trunks

The documentation shows the results of my one-month working period as artist in residence at Kunsthuis SYB, in August 2017. Drach was on view at Kunsthuis SYB from 8 till 17 September 2017.

During my residency, I conducted a research project on the history of the peatlands surrounding Beetsterzwaag, and its neighbouring village Nij Beets. The villages hold a deep historical connection to the soil they were built on: peat and sand grounds, which were touched, moved and shaped entirely by human labour. To this day, the history of these soils both connect and divide the communities: the noble men and land owners that lived on the sandy grounds of Beetsterzwaag, next to the commoners and labourers that lived on the peatlands of Nij Beets. I was interested in how the material had generated meaning in this juxtaposition over time, and how it could still have meaning in the present. During my residency, I collaborated with scientists, peat workers, land owners and locals. The project resulted in a large installation at Kunsthuis SYB, which functioned as a visual narrative through the past and present of these landscapes.

Drach was produced with the generous support of:
Stroom Den Haag, Van Teyens Fundatie, Mondriaan Fonds en VSB fonds