Land-art installations
Resonating waves of the past.
Klifhanger art manifastation summer 2021. Den Hoorn, Island of Texel
art manifestation Klifhanger 2020 (18-06 to 21-06)theme tide line.
The hilly area called 'De Siep' north of the campsite is indeed a low dune area that was created on the first and oldest tide hook from the 14th century. The sand was thrown onto the edge of the tide hook beach ridge by the seawater of the tide and from there drifted up into dunes.
In my experience, the dynamics of the tide line are 'frozen' in the undulating dunes. I want to visualize this dynamic by placing a tight point grid of (willow) branches over the area. The branches are all shortened to the same length (approx. 2.5 meters) and the top 30 cm is colored white. All branches go exactly the same distance into the ground (50 cm) relative to the top of the ground level and are placed 2 meters apart in an orthogonal pattern. All at the same distance and all at the same height in relation to the ground level.
From the cycle path along the campsite, the undulating structure of the landscape becomes clearly visible. The slight undulation of the white branch tips reinforces the dynamics of the undulation.
The landscape resonates the high tide line of seven centuries ago.
Scale bar
Klifhanger art manifastation summer 2023. Den Hoorn, Island of Texel
The theme of this edition of Klifhanger was: pushing boundaries, but indicating and respecting boundaries is perhaps even more important. Our relationship with nature and each other's boundaries are essential.
The report 'Limits to Growth' from 1972 remains relevant. Our world is a construct to get a grip on nature, but we must respect its boundaries. Our destructive behaviour on earth must change. The human scale, like the span of Leonardo's square, must come into harmony with nature.
The artwork on the land consists of seven burnt surfaces of 2 metres square, symbolic of the transience of human interventions.
Seven because the 7 days in the week are also a human construct. I don't think I need to explain to anyone that the planet was not created in seven days, but here it is a beautiful metaphor to indicate the relationship between creation and destruction.
Burning the ground is an ancient technique to develop the land. You could see it as the beginning of agriculture and it also announces the beginning of the end. It also allows me to create a work using few raw materials. By the end of the summer, nature will have restored human intervention.
This work embodies the relationship between creation and destruction, with nature ultimately triumphing. The image functions as a scale bar that reflects our interaction with nature.
Cathartic
My proposal for the land art installation 'Cathartic' has been approved by the jury. To be seen this summer at the
Klifhanger art manifestation Den Hoorn, Texel Island.
Stories rely on a 'carrier' like paper or the modern 'cloud' for longevity. Given the extensive history of my story, it will be supported by robust carriers: Texel's boulders.
My installation's chosen location is a parking area outside Den Hoorn village, at Wittenweg 17 near 'De Schuur Tuinonderhoud'. The vastness, abstraction, and hidden history of this spot align well with my envisioned installation.
Ice Age
The mound of material marks Texel's origins. The Hoornder Cliff formed in 1170 where seawater clashed with boulders and clay.
Skipping ahead, without these stones and clay, there would be no Texel, cliff, or cliffhanger!
Deep Time
The stones for my installation arrived from Scandinavia 150,000 years ago, representing a tangible piece of the universe and Earth's 4.56 billion-year history. Each stone is a bundle of time.
In scaling Earth's history to an hour, humans only appear in the last minute. The approximately 40 boulders on the parking lot will shrink, culminating in a pebble symbolizing our time on Earth.
The concrete slabs in this parking lot refer to our human history, used in the Atlantic Wall during World War II. The artist wants to clean them with a high-pressure cleaner and show boulders, connected to the present. In an era of 'post-truth' where lies dominate, imagination is crucial but dangerous. Our ecologically destructive behavior will lead to mass extinction within 500 years, making the human role in the world seem relatively unimportant. This knowledge works purifying and reflects a sad but realistic end of an era in which imagination balances between salvation and destruction.
