You may recognise the name Daan Roosegaarde, especially if you’ve heard of the Icoon Afsluitdijk, Waterlicht and Smog Free Tower projects. Well, his latest project is something really special - his first ever major solo museum show. 

Interactive art up close

In collaboration with Groninger Museum, Roosegaarde has created a groundbreaking, new interactive artwork: Presence. The piece features a phosphorescent landscape which changes colour and shape with the presence of visitors. The artwork encourages visitors to immerse themselves and interact with it, in stark contrast with traditional artworks that are generally only allowed to be viewed from afar.

Presence, which was inspired by climate change and a desire to change the landscape, calls for those viewing it to become aware of their own presence in a unique manner. The installation certainly wows with its use of new materials and principles of physics.

The environment and you

The artwork is very symbolic of humankind’s relationship with the environment. This can be seen in the traces of visitors which disappear from the display to make room for new ones, illustrating the impact of humans’ presence on earth. Roosegaarde states, “I wanted to create a place where you feel connected. You make the artwork and the artwork makes you.”

The installation is an impressive 800m2 and takes you from large and solid spaces to small and mobile and from dark to light. One gallery even has futuristic spheres drawing lines on the floor and another is filled with luminous stardust.

See Presence for yourself

Intrigued? Presence is on from June 22, 2019 to January 12, 2020 at the Groninger Museum, in, you guessed it, Groningen!

Photo and video: Daan Roosegaarde