In her work, Esther Kokmeijer delves into our relationship with nature. She wondered what desire lay at the foundation of constructing a seven-meter high waterfall at the Paltz, in the heart of the forests of Soest. It seems to be a romantic desire to mimic the sublimity of nature and thus gain a certain control over our natural environment. Nowadays, we, as humans, are going even further in this pursuit. Through Geo-engineering, we are able to manipulate rain and dim the sun, among other things. The work Feeding the Waterfall emerged from a longing to learn from natural systems and to harness nature itself for creative solutions to fundamental problems.
Esther created a vortex, fed by the waterfall. This intervention will lead to flourishing water on the estate. A few years ago, it was scientifically proven that using a vortex inspired by nature dissolves air in water, thereby increasing the rate of oxygen transfer. Esther created her work in collaboration with water physicist Elmar C. Fuchs from the European Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Water Technology (Wetsus), and it is part of research aiming to utilize this process for the production of drinking water and the purification of wastewater, for which oxygen in water plays an essential role.
www.ftn-books.com has the Kokmeijer invitation for het HEDEN exhibition available.
