Rebirth (2022)

A fallen tree is resting in the landscape of HTC, swaddled like a newborn baby in a blanket of burlap and peacock feathers. Rebirth embraces the perpetual cycle of what we call life, as well as the silent movement of impermanence. The tree was once born, and has now died. But even after its death, the tree transforms. It changes and lives on. Life is infinite.

Artist Melanie Maria is fascinated by the transient. Moments happen, moments pass, materials make a transition through time. Her artwork Rebirth will never be the same when observed. Time and nature transform as the viewer also changes while experiencing the work for one, two, three minutes or three hours.

She tells us; ‘Often I use natural and perishable materials in my art. Previously I have worked with flowers and plants, but also with pure syrup which sank to the ground by gravity and that hardened by time. I am a performance artist and have mainly worked with ‘humans as material’. Humans are the most natural material. Every person is different, just like every situation is. Everything changes with the duration and the moment.’

‘My partner is an arborist and helped with developing this work thinking about the biological assets. Rebirth is the first work where our two professions come together. Looking for a dead tree to work with, we stumbled upon this one at the High Tech Campus itself.’

Melanie Maria was commissioned by TAC to make a new large artwork through her win with her work It still remains (photo below) for the Jan Naaijkens Prijs for Young Talented Dutch artists. TAC proposed the HTC area for Rebirth. Melanie says; ‘The environment of the High Tech campus area inspired me. Their vision on ecology and sustainability, the grounds full of growing live trees.’

(source: https://www.tac.nu/programma/rebirth-melanie-maria/?lang=en)