Sowing instructions at the end of this page/
The work Nerve – landscape 1. is a wooden sculpture made of birch and beech wood. On the sculpture work, information about the wood is engraved about its provenance, its age, the distance it has travelled, and more.
Below you see an image of the engraved wooden texts in the wooden sculptures. In total there are 42 texts. In the exhibition space, the public can read these engraved texts by walking through the sculpture and – when needed – by lifting up a part of the sculpture to read the text entirely. This invites for an intuitive, non-chronologic and active reading process.
Woutera seeks to show the vulnerability of materials by displaying information about time, place, and event to experience the value of the material. She also wonders about the incompleteness and infinity of data. For example: what happens with the atoms of the wood when the artwork decays?
Photography of wooden engraved slats, partly recycled. These are part of the sculpture work Nerve - Landscape 1. Artist and photographer Iris Woutera de Jong.
Photograph, title Nerve - Landscape 1., year 2022, material wood, steel, pvc, artist and photographer Iris Woutera de Jong, location group exposition Prospects at Van Nelle Fabriek, Art Rotterdam 2022.
Did you receive a flyer with seeds? They are Dutch native birch seeds from the State Forest Management (Staatsbosbeheer). And do you want to take action and plant new trees?
Then plant the birch seeds into the landscape that surrounds you!
Below you will find the sowing instructions.
It is best to pick a public space where the underground is not mowed or strictly planned but rather a forest, park, or piece of wasteland next to a parking lot. Ask permission of the owner in case you want to plant the seeds on private property. A birch tree needs some space to grow and can reach 30 meters in height and 60-80 years in age. Enjoy your planting time!
Birch wood seeds in a package that is attached to the Nerve - Landscape 1. flyer, photographer Iris Woutera.
Sowing instructions:
Birch – Betula pendula/ ruwe berk
• Place the seeds on a saucer between two pieces of tissue or toilet paper
• Add a little water so that the paper becomes moist
• Leave it for 20-24 hours
• Take the paper with the seeds to the location where you want to sow the seeds. It has a better chance of success if you sow next to a stone, half-decayed branch, or stump stuck in the ground and somewhat in partial shade. The soil usually stays moist for longer in the shadow.
• Loosen the soil to a depth of 15 cm and press it lightly by hand
• Place the paper with the seeds on the loosened soil and press it lightly by hand
• Pour 0.5 litres of water on the paper and the loosened soil
• Allow the water to subside slowly and sprinkle it with loose dry soil, approx. 1 cm thick