In spring 2021 a black, spiky object can be found in the Amstelpark between the Glazen Huis and the Red Bridge. This work, titled PIT Portaal, by the artist Karin van Dam pays tribute to seeds. In a different guise, PIT was previously seen during Zomersneeuw, the 11th edition of Beelden op de Berg in Wageningen. During working visits to Belmonte Arboretum in Wageningen, Karin van Dam found seeds everywhere in 20218. In the withered blossoms of the hydrangea, thorny fruits of the chestnut and dried out rose hips, she sees the recurring life cycle of nature. Van Dam is fascinated by the fact that a shrivelled seed shell carries new life within it, and she can continue to be amazed at the robust power of growth processes.
It is an inexhaustible growth that transcends our human time span. In her idea there is an entire universe in the smallest seed. In PIT Portal she recycles insulation material to build a space that makes tangible that we – people – are part of this. You can literally enter the work, feel enveloped by the soft thorniness and from this ‘shelter’ in which the light falls through the tubes and the open dome, see the world in a new way.
Thanks to: Jacosol NL
Also see Karin van Dam’s website
