Estuarium van Wantij En Weerzien
Part of Exhibition Sea de Zee, Villa Zebra Rotterdam sept 2020-2021
A diptych representing naturally available seaweed at the Dutch coast, as well as the cultivation of aquatic plantlife
As an adversary for the natural richess The Netherlands has to offer, this invitation to create a work representing the sea, came with a joy for new discoveries.
The abundance of the hidden flora in the waters of the Oosterschelde, needed a display that would show off the biodiversity. Like with all things wild, there is so much to be found in one square meter, but there is little of it. A guided tour by specialist Ellen, from Wild Wier, to understand the marine flora, turned into a respectful few days of harvesting about 30 different species. The process of shaping them with a small pencil into their waving under water shapes and using the sun to dry, resulted in about 4,5m2 of an aquatic herbarium, bringing them back to the exhibition.
As a collab with the marine aquaculture research institute in Zeeland showed me, there are many seafarm facilities that are working with seaweed in a big scale, to create new products with.
From biopolymers, to fabric and food for cattle, humanity seems to find new ways to feed the planet. One the one hand a hopeful approach, on the other, it seems that we have to retreat from land to sea, and broaden our territory. Revealing this message, I chose to create a diptych representing both sides.
The 2D work with all the wild seaweeds, has a light and colorful appearance, but the one species of Sacharina seaweed, in vast numbers, ordered in straight lines as it is cultivated, creates a bit of a gloomy under water forest. The scent of the seaweed, provides the fresh smell of the sea, and guides the brain to a moment with the Dutch water landscapes.
