The document provides information on various art installations created by the artist between 2003-2012. It describes 17 different installations, providing details on the materials used, locations, and sometimes brief descriptions of the concepts or inspirations behind each work. The installations include sculptures made from materials like willow branches, driftwood, bamboo, and beans that were displayed in outdoor locations across Europe and Taiwan.
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1. ‘Balls of Light’
(2010/2012)
• 2 x 2 x 5 willow branches, wire,
shrink film and stainless steel
• Noorderzon, Vos Maupertuus,
Appingedam, CBK Groningen,
Bolsward
Installation of Balls and light.
Various situated: ground,
mobile, hanging etc. For
Performing Artfestival,
Designshop and artroutes.
3. ‘Hangend Water’
‘Hanging Water’ (2006)
• 25 x 30 x 3 meter, American oak,
shrink film, cable ties
• Art in Nature Drenthe,
Schoonoord (Holland)
Hanging Water is composed
of mulitiple large drops of
human proportion. The drops
are hanging in the woods of
Sleenerzand forest preserve.
The work is a homage to the
men who dug out the canal
‘Oranjekanaal’ by hand and
planted the forest in the
19th century. Inspite of their
exertions the Oranjekanaal
never brought the economic
prosperity, which was planned
for. Years after date the canal is
even unusable and became
still water.
4. ‘Vrijkunst’
2010 - ...
• verious sizes and material
• location Northern Netherlands
In the tradition of Land-Art:
walks in nature areas making
temporarily artwork on route.
Remaining picures and
short prose text in which the
wandering and making of the
work is set out in words.
5. ‘Leaf Seats for London’
(2012)
• Arauco plywood, Ecotherme
Isolation and Universal
Roofmembrame
• The Building Centre, show Faces
of British Architecture
Assignment from Icopals
Marketing department resulted
in nine unique objects
escpecially designed for Icopal.
Leafshaped seats and tables
made out of layered roofing
products. The layering of the
three kinds of material can be
seen as the floors of buildings,
refering to architecture. The
leafshapes relates to the fact
nature takes his place in Icopal
product philosophy (Eco-Activ).
The abstracted leafs itself are
situated as if they are attached
to a branche. Leaving this twig
away a typical ordened, but in
consistency, group is situated
in the gallery. Like a leafshaped
group of buidings.
6. ‘Boom’
‘Tree’ (2008)
• 15 x 9 x 7 meter, Ulmus
Columella (zuilvormige iep),
Stainless Steel (RVS)
• Regiopolitie Groningen en CBK
Groningen
Boom is a permanent work for
Regional Police Groningen and
CBK Groningen. This work is
situated on detention centre for
short term detention. The work
shields off one tree of the other
25 trees (treeplan made by
artist). The trees symbolize the
society and the jailed. Also the
trees adds the element of grow
to the work. Grow, seasens,
weather, reflection of stainless
steel give the work every day
another view. Boom is opened
by Nehabat Albayrak, State
Secretary of Justice in 2008.
7. ‘Pronkbonen’
Growing beans (2012)
• 85 x 5 x 4 meters
Amerivan oak, wire, concrete
and Phaseolus vulgaris Emergo
Pronkboon
• Tuin en kunst tiendaagse,
Marketing Groningen, UMCG,
Gemeente Groningen
Growing installation for City
Marketing Groningen and
UMCG (Hospital). Running
till end of september 2012.
Participation project with
among others Probation
Netherlands, UMCG, a
primary school, De Bolster,
Staasbosbeheer etc. The
structure is based on the
project Grow in Assen 2007.
A large plan of poles of beans
where ‘stadjers’ (Groninger
townspeople) can harvest
beans in the middle of the city
of Groningen. Sponteneous
the University Center for
Psychiatry give support by
doing mainteance by their
daytime activities team. Also
‘stadjers’ often send by e-mail
thanks for the project and free
meals. Project ended with
‘Pronkbonenlunch’ on location.
8. Pronkbonenlunch op locatie
Woensdag 19 september van 12:30 uur tot 13:30 uur
Marketing Groningen nodigt u van harte uit voor de ‘Pronkbonenlunch’.
Het groeikunstwerk van Merijn Vrij getiteld ‘Pronkbonen’ groeit al de hele zomer
van 2012 en er wordt door stadjers al weken volop van gegeten. Ter afsluiting
van dit Land Art en participatieproject in stad Groningen een kleine bijeenkomst
met betrokkenen en geïnteresseerden: een oogstfeest op locatie verzorgd door
Hidzer Kookt. Graag tot ziens!
Wilt u per mail aangeven of u aanwezig bent en met hoeveel personen?, graag uiterlijk 17 september. Alvast dank.
Locatie: grasveld naast het gebouw van Universitair Centrum Psychiatrie op de hoek Antonius Deusinglaan en SS
Rosensteinlaan. Voor vragen en aanmelding: info@marketinggroningen.nl of telefoonnummer 050 3199764.
Pronkbonen is mede mogelijk gemaakt door: Gemeente Groningen, stichting Erven A. de Jager en het Samenwerkingsverband
Noord Nederland. In samenwerking met: Marketing Groningen, UMCG, Universitair Centrum Psychiatrie, Reclassering
Nederland / Werkstrafunit Groningen, Iederz, Staatsbosbeheer Sleen, De Bolster Biologische Zaden, GA! Groningen, basisschool
De Kleine Wereld en Vrienden van
9. ‘Kom’
‘Bowl’ (2005)
• 8 x 8 x 4 meter, pealed willow
branches, wire, cable ties,
agriculture tarpaulin.
• Artroute De Leegte (area called
‘Emptiness’), East-Groningen
(Holland)
In this bowl the view on the
landscape is blocked. The
visitor can experience the
emptiness.
10. ‘Evenwicht’
‘Balance’ (2003)
• 25 x 10 x 2,5 meter
driftwood, waste material,
birdwings, sail, branches, steel,
plastic, wind
• Oerol 2003, location-specific
theatre festival, Artroute ‘Moving
Horizon’ (Holland)
The installation ‘Balance’ is a
group of thirteen sculptures in
the young dunes on the beach
of the island Terschelling. On
one end of the sculptures there
is a weight and on the other
is fashioned a makeshift sail
from various odds and ends.
All used material is topical,
like driftwood and waste
material found on the northern
coastline of Terschelling beach.
The artworks are constantly
moving, buffeted by the wind. It
is all a matter of balance.
11. ‘Waterlijn’
‘Waterline’ (2007)
• 52 x 7 x 1,5 meter, willow
branches, wire, shrink film, cable
ties.
• Sommerinsel, Ludwigshafen am
Rhein (Germany)
Meandering hanging installation
in the oaks of Parkinsel,
adjacent to the river Rhein. The
height (1,5 meter) shows the
possible grow (level) of the river
Rhein. The form is inspired by
the waterline bringing driftwood
along the river-site. During the
festival ‘Sommerinsel’ a lot
of people wandered around
the work, children played and
enjoyed ‘Waterline’.
12. ‘Groei’
‘Grow’ (2007)
• 35 x 4 x 5 meter, peach branches,
agriculture cow wire, beans, time
• Gouvernor Garden, Municipal
Assen (Holland)
The park in the middle of Assen
city-center was an vegetable
garden in de 19th century.
The installation ‘Grow’ refers
to the past of the Gouvernor
Garden. A thirty-five meters
long installation of large scale
beanpoles is sett up in the lawn.
Time changes the shape and
exterior of this installation during
the growseason. The installation
shows the cyclus of plant out,
growing and die. The beans are
harvested during the project by
the citizens of Assen.
13. ‘Hoor’
‘Hear’ (2008)
• 3 x 12m, willow, shrink film and
cable ties
• Naturepark Lelystad ‘Burl’, FKV /
Lelystad (Holland)
The burling of the dear is
visualized in a large horn. The
spectacle rutting-season is
14. ‘Schuur’
‘Shed’ (2007)
• 8 x 7 x 5 meter, shed, willow
branches, wire
• Vice Versa Try-out, Gallery Defka
Assen (Holland)
Installation in shed falled into
disrepair on the terrain of
Gallery Defka. An explosian
of branches referes to the
future demolition of the Gallery
garden to make place for a new
multifunctonal theatre.
15. ‘Growing Heart’
Sketch Lelystad (2009)
• steel, alluminum, tree
• City of Lelystad
Sketches for Landmarks for
City of Lelystad. Growing a
tree in sculpture on traffic
roundabout. Studies and
presentations for ten rotunda in
Lelystad by several artist. Total
project was stopped because
of lack of budget.
16. ‘Rustling Leaves’
Sketch Voices of Forest (2011)
• bamboo, gourd
• Dà Nóng Dà Fù Lowland Forest
Park, Taiwan
Asked for making a sketch for
a new park in Taiwan. Growing
pavillion out of bamboo, steel
and gourd.
17. ‘Lijnen van gras’
‘Lines of grass’ (2009)
• ‘2 x 2 x 6 m, Grass, wire
• ‘Vice Versa, University of
Groningen Fine Arts / Minerva
Installation out of grass which
was harvested close to the
exhibition location (A28).
Woven and binded together
in long strings pointing out
to the skylight in the gallery.
Made on location for cultural
exchange show: Bristol (GB)
and Groningen (NL).
18. ‘IJsoog’
‘Ice-eye’ (2008)
• 2 x 1 meter, exclusive tree, ice
and wire
• Stadspark Groningen
Very temporarily artwork in
public space. While ice was
melting constructed an eye in a
tree with bowed branches.
20. ‘Flock of Birds’ (2009)
• 35 m x 5 m, 6 meter high.
Bamboo, reed.
• Guandu Sculpture Festival 2009,
Taipei / Taiwan
The installation is inspired by
the nature phenomenon of
bird migration and the flock of
birds. Organic shape. Waving
horizontal strings woven onto
vertical stacks of bamboo.
The final shape and pattern
was modified on the site. The
installation is inspired on a
flock of birds but at the end it
became an autonomous work,
free to fill in by the beholder.
In Taiwan lots of people called
it ‘Flying Dragon’ which is a
saying meaning ‘fantastic’.
It was an multi viewable
installation, from bridge, from
path and also on the site ‘in the
sculpture’. After construction
the work the birds and the
fast growing nature took over
the installation again and it
became a natural part of the
Guandu Park. It lasted all 2009
Typhoons.