For our campaign ‘The Future is Green’, we invited the Italian artist Martina Taranto to the Room on the Roof. Under the name ‘Together twentytwenty’, she explores the limits of reusing and experimenting with waste material. The growing installation puts forth an encouraging vision of an equal world, open to a balanced coexistence with nature.
“We are integrated with nature; we are at its hand more than we like to admit. I grew up in nature, wandering through fields, and that is where my fascination for natural phenomena began. I have noticed that people instantly create this bond, this connection with the pieces. They interact with them as if they are living creatures. Creating this human, natural connection with something that is manmade changes the perspective of the observer. You can relate to it more easily, as it’s a living thing. You can water it, watch it change and see how it grows over time.
Waste from de Bijenkorf forms the base for a mixture of natural materials and seeds. When the sculptures are watered, the seeds will sprout and the plants will start growing. Room on the Roof is the ideal setting for the sculptures; here they will grow and surprise, transforming every day. Not knowing what the shape will be is part of the process. The sculpture has its own intentions and will take its natural course. The independence of the statues underscores the idea that nature cannot be created.”
Martina hopes that her sculptures send an important message. “We are one with nature. Though we distance ourselves from nature more and more, detaching from our natural surroundings, humans are part of this planet. Our existence is much more a dialogue than a user experience, so we must stop calling natural materials resources because they do not exist for the taking. We can relate to nature and exist alongside it. We have to shift our language. This project is a way to draw attention to this issue and encourage and refine that integration.”
The growing installation puts forth an encouraging vision of an equal world, open to a balanced coexistence with nature. The installation can be admired from the 10th of February until the 2nd of March in the shop window at de Bijenkorf in Amsterdam
