to the artists, designers and craftspeople who think I call their work kitsch... this is NOT the case, it refers to my own work

Jul 29, 2012

Arbus Reïnc - land art in the orchard

result of a storm + fallen apple tree + reclaimed timber from renovated roofs + art event...

start...

... my husband dug a perfect cross on the spot where our old apple tree used to stand upright, he deserves a medal for that tedious job...



... starting to build up the roots and centre of trunk ...



... the part that will turn into the tree trunk...



... first branches are 'growing' and roots are being covered



... at the end of day one we're quite happy with the job so far...



... and the 'gods' approve of what we're doing and send our their blessings...



... on the second day branches grow thicker and taller and provide lodgings for local birds, I even spotted bees around the nests ...




... a chair is added to look over the hedge and over the fields until the next village in the distance or simply enjoy the fact of being 'detached' from the world below ...



... a niche is incorporated into the trunk...




... adding the bark to the trunk...




... getting its shape...




... adding the last bits and pieces...



... meet the (tired) builders and the end of the last building day
Clemens Maassen (design & technique) - hildA de schutter (me) (idea & concept)



... the next days I get up at night to finish other works for the art tour and I get this special bonus : gorgeous sunrises sitting on the chair in Arbus Reïnc...



...



... the first day of the art tour the last detail is added...




... our first extremely enthousiastic visitor climbs into the tree...




... over three days 1500 visitors enjoyed our piece of land art...




... rain or shine, still very popular...




... to sign the guestbook one had to climb into the tree...





... now three weeks later
a sunday during summer... peaceful?  not quite...

not exactly our 'thing' this car race but we must admit that Arbus Reinc gives us a whole different perspective on the subject.




related posts



Jul 28, 2012

wood - most recent works

hildA de schutter (me) - PAALwoningen (pile-dwellings)

The subject - fragility, urbanisation (hence the importance of the shadow on the wall) - of the art tour Kunst op het Hof inspired me for my most recent works in wood.


my debut with the chainsaw...


Made from reclaimed centuries old timber from the neighbours barn that didn't survive a heavy storm some years ago.  Some of the beams still have the original hand-forged nails.


I quite like the combination with Clemens Maassen's painting


detail of Calvino by Clemens Maassen






and I can't get enough of the new look of our barn... but new plans are budding in my mind...


related posts

Jul 20, 2012

Pollie Gregoor & Roosje Chini


Rites de Passage

It was love at first sight, the first time I saw Pollie Gregoor's art a few years ago.  This time I had the opportunity to see more of it, and above all meet the artists - he works closely with his partner Roosje Chini - and talk about their fascinating artwork.

setting : stable and pigsty on a local farm during the Kunst op het Hof art tour

the tiny, narrow pigsty is quite a challenge to use as exhibition space



Roosje Chini - ceramics








 Roosje Chini



my heart skipped a beat when I saw this...


I'd seen this fascinating sculpture a few years ago in a very dark space.  I couldn't stop looking at it wanting to touch and stroke it (I didn't).  All the bits and pieces tell a story, these aren't just random objects. They're collected during travels around the world or bear ancient family history and already have a story before being joined.


The small round window was very intriguing and the objects inside have a particular fascinating story.
This wasn't a sculpture just to look at, I felt - and still feel just looking at the picture - an overwhelming vibration radiating from this artwork.  I'd love to climb into the structure and explore it from the inside.


The top part is sometimes replaced by one of these...






and this is how I saw it a few years ago




related post

Jul 19, 2012

Urban Agriculture

fascinating trend
the amount of food that is transferred into large cities daily is gigantic.  using the free space for growing crops in the city, like on rooftops, cannot solve the problems of transport but every effort counts.

If I would live in the city - I did about 35 years ago where I grew tomatoes on my tiny balcony - I'd love a large rooftop and grow vegetables, keep honey bees and enjoy the scent of honeysuckle in the evening and early morning.

The theme Urbanisation - or the fragile balance between city and rural country - during the art tour Kunst op het Hof - gave me the opportunity to build my version of countrylife in the city.


as usual using reclaimed material...



and next... a fascinating experiment... sewing the 'fields' with different kinds of 'sprouts'. 
never done this before so I'm anxcious to see if everything will grow in time for the art tour...



radishes and rucola are doing nicely... others are still hesitant



hildA de schutter - Urban Agriculture - installation - wood & plants
I didn't have enough time to finish it the way I wanted but one week later I'm quite happy with the effect



at the 'finissage' visitors were allowed to harvest and eat the crop spread over bread and humus



the previous post mentionned that this work would be complimentary to Clemens Maassen's paintings. City versus countryside.



but let's zoom in on that large painting ICI on the wall made by Clemens Maassen especially for the occasion...



detail of ICI - the white arrow glued on the painting mentions : you are here...
and that is exactly where we were standing, in our barn on our property


to be continued...



Jul 17, 2012

Clemens Maassen - art & design

Open studio days in Maastricht some time in May, I should have posted this quite some time ago as a kind of preview...


absolutely gorgeous chairs, some of them with reclaimed material like the Dutch post sack...


... or an embroidered piece of needlecraft from the artist's mother



beautiful lighting, not quite visible in the picture because of the busy backdrop


Next to being a furniture builder and lighting designer, Clemens Maassen is also a painter. 



Those who follow my blog know I do love artists' studios.



looking for the bits you won't find in the galleries... the work space and material







and off course the art itself...





the paintings on this wall are the reason why the work of Clemens Maassen and myself were brought together in an exhibition with theme : urbanisation... more on that - and more paintings - in the next post


detail of Verborgen Stad (Hidden City)



 
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