Nature Now
NATURE NOW
Date: 2012
Location: CBK Drenthe
Curator: Toos Arends
Artists: Ivan Henriques – Tanja Koning & Nele Vos – Erik Odijk – Reinier Lagendijk – Dennis Amatdjais – Sjef Meijman – Peter de Cupere – Sema Bekirovic – Persijn Broersen en Margit Lukacz – Claudy Jongstra and Ronald van der Meijs
In the summer of 2012 I worked as projectcoordinator at CBK Drenthe in Assen, The Netherlands. I a.o. helped with organizing the Nature Now exhibition, curated by CBK Drenthe director Toos Arends. The project was about contemporary visions on nature. We make use of nature, without precisely realising what nature is, and what impact it has on us. This exhibition in a sense helped to create awareness. Artist Ronald van der Meijs not only made visible how a cucumber grows, but also made it audible. Ivan Henriques invited us to touch a plant that was connected with a car. By touching the plant, so much energy was created, that the car could move. Apart from this, there a.o. were drawings about wildness (Erik Odijk, Dennis Amatdjais), a video about the behavior of animals, and a sculpture of a huge cardamom plant (Peter de Cupere).
my role
Together with intern Marijke van der Laan I set up a collaboration with Tuinland (result: kruidje-roer-me-niet’s in the exhibition), I came up with excursions and lectures and did ask for funds (the project got funded by Mondriaan Fund, Rabobank Assen-Beilen, Prins Bernhard Cultuur Fonds Drenthe). We also got AOC Terra involved, which is a senior college in Assen that focusses on nature, environment, health and sustainability. And we involved a couple of artists (Ivan Henriques, Dennis Amatdjais, Ronald van der Meijs, Reinier Lagendijk).
I always find it important that you somehow engage the local environment. That’s what I also tried to do with Nature Now. Students of AOC Terra designed a garden at CBK Drenthe as part of this project. We organized excursions to local gardens and to the studio of artist Claudy Jongstra. We organized lectures at the local library (a.o. by Koert van Mensvoort of Next Nature), Tuinland agreed to deliver kruidje-roer-me-niet’s, which literary became part of the exhibition, and which could be touched by the audience. And so on. This way, the project got more impact and involved the local community.
Nature Now was the type of exhibition that not only did apply on our sight, but also on other senses.
It wasn’t a doomsday view on how bad everything is going in modern day world. Nature Now wanted to make aware that nature shouldn’t be taken for granted, at the same time emphasizing that the meaning of nature has changed.
Photos © Lennard Dost
Nature Now was considered to be the most succesful exhibition of CBK Drenthe (Assen). Unfortunately CBK Drenthe ceased to exist in 2015.
Publicatie in Beelden Magazine no. 60. auteur: Geraart Westerink.
You’ll find more information about the project in the booklet below (in Dutch), designed by Rocket Industries:
Nature Now was made possible with financial support of Mondriaan Fund, Rabobank Assen-Beilen and Prins Bernhard Cultuur Fonds Drenthe.
PRESS
Dagblad van het Noorden
De Kunstkrant
