GREENHOUSE

The construction

For the construction, I used aged wooden bars from old Aalsmeer greenhouses. The glass came from the same old greenhouses, but it was melted in a glass oven. I developed a liquid glass pigment out of rust and melt it between the plates. Rust pretends not to move, but when you look away, it starts to drip, leak, and grow everywhere. If you leave a drop of the liquid rust pigment for a while, rusty crystals begin to grow. By recreating an old greenhouse and incorporating the rust in glass, the overgrowing quality of rust becomes visible.

Agriculture and Floriculture

In my artistic practice, I make the black and liquid rust pigment from old rusty pins, nails and screws. I then melt it between pairs of glass plates in a glass oven at around 800°C. As the glass melts together, it fixes the black rust, which begins to boil and drip. In the oven, the rust changes color due to the heat—from black to various shades of terracotta. The shapes of rust, created by the heat in the oven, give a each plate a different dynamic and liquid character. The greenhouse is not only an ode to the history of Aalsmeer, but it also has an element of criticism on the pollutive industrialization of contemporary greenhouse agriculture and floriculture. Additionally, the overgrowing power of rust presents an image of transience. You are welcome to enter the greenhouse and walk inside this red and light space to see the rust, captured in the glass. The greenhouse is 3.80m long, 2.50m wide, and 2.80m high. Entering is however on your own risk and please be careful: some glass might still be sharp.

What I do

With the curiosity of a scientist, I explore natural processes, their stories, and their enchantment. Like an alchemist, I transform, extract, or fuse this chemistry. I extract pigment from plants, melt sand into glass, and transform rust into dripping red forms in glass. I am interested in the boundary where science meets magic, the place where we know too little to fully understand, but can still observe. Sometimes, a sensual nature emerges in my work, where I explore natural pigments and their biochemical relationship with the human body. I create pigments from materials collected during walks and experiment with oxides from old metals, ground rocks, and plant-based dyes. I am also fascinated by the queerness of nature, which I see as something boundless and fluid. Think of the dripping of glass, the leaking of rust, and the delicious, almost sensual colors of flowers and plants. Through my alchemy, I blur the colonial framework of science, which divides the world into different groups such as species, subatomic particles, and various landscapes. In doing so, I inspire a sense of wonder in my audience for the non-human nature.