Matea shifts her fascination with the transformation of material to material reincarnation. The production of new materials has a significant ecological impact because it demands a lot from the soil. She is exploring ways to revalue material while including its history in the artwork.

Sometimes she allows geometric forms linked to a material to collapse, as it were. In its collapsed form a seemingly weighty lifeless sculpture can evoke empathy in the viewer.

Geometric forms are the foundation of Matea’s works, as they demarcate territory. The organic appearance of the (re)used materials stands out creating a clear contrast with the geometric shapes.

Her house is full of plants; no less than eighty ‘housemates’. Because she has propagated almost all the plants herself, she witnesses the growth process from the very beginning. She sees how a new leaf unfurls, as the outlines are more distinct on the newly emerged leaves. And she witnesses the old dying leaves gradually change color and texture.

‘Plants, too, create geometric shapes that eventually turn into organic forms. A young leaf of my Ten Commandments plant is rolled up so tightly that it creates a tube shape and only then unfolds. The young Monstera Delicosia creates almost perfect circles from newly developed holes in the leaf. Then, as they grow larger, more organic forms emerge. When are these forms, aesthetically speaking, the most exciting? I ask myself.’

www.mateabakula.com
www.aletterfromafreeman.nl

In the work of Menno Hiele natural, but normally invisible processes of plants become visible. Sometimes he uses them to bring everyday objects back to life, as in the case of a wooden bench that fans out into a tree. Armed with the technology of sensors and motors, he allows his work to grow and flourish.

In Steck you can see an image that arose from an ingenious work process. On the computer Menno processes photos of tree bark into a 3d model. Then he digitally adjusts the height and depth. He then divides the resulting structure into digital slices. After milling them into material, he finally reassembles the whole.

www.mennohiele.nl

For UtrechtDownUnder she went to Utrecht Overvecht and worked intensively with a few residents. She interviewed them about the plants with which they have a special bond. Plants that have been with them for a very long time.

In a small greenhouse at Steck the plants ‘stay’ during the exhibition. From an easy chair you can listen to a soundscape in which residents talk about their plants.

Iris Honderdos ‘I have experienced that art can be a special medium in promoting mutual understanding and communication.’ Her work always focuses on a group of people with a common characteristic such as the inhabitants of a village or an institution, employees of a company or students of a school, but it can also be a group with a shared experience such as refugees or war victims.

The process of working is an important part of any project. For her, it is important that the outcome is recognizable to those involved; they must feel seen or recognized.

In most projects she works together with her partner, sound artist Arno Peeters.

www.artonlocation.nl