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MICHIEL JANSEN (NL)Michiel Jansen is mainly considered a sculptor although his practice spans a variety of different media and expressions. Most of his works are site specific which could also be said about his studio works which all have a relationship with the outdoor environment from where he gets the materials he works with.
Both his SITE and NON-SITE works start with field trips. Exploring the spaciality of environments and landscapes with the role and position of humans within. Walks and actions in the landscape form the base of new works and the onsite materials help to embody the work. Some are made on the spot and exist on SITE, while the NON-SITE works derive in the studio and can be shown outside the natural context. |
Seven walks, seven trees, one rock (2025)
This work is the outcome of an attempt to find the middlepoint of Hestøya. During my resideny at Hestøya I made a lot of walks on the island. At first I walked around the island as close to the border with the water to get a notion of the size of the island in comparising to my own physical size. After that I made seven straight walks across the island. After these walks I’d experienced the island, its spatiallity and dimensions to the fullest so I could determine the centre. I marked the spot I find to be the centre with a large rock which I rolled about 110 meters from the waterline. I scaled down the lines I walked to 1/40 of the real size and found fallen down trees in the forest to represent them. I placed the trees floating above the ground in relation with the rock around the centre point.
Photo: Michiel Jansen and Maria Konstanse Bruun
Filming: Michiel Jansen
Temporary way below the water surface (2025)
There are many small shallow fjords on the island which become dry on low tide and filled with water on high tides. One of these fjords I’ve walked through on high water, which came to my waist. I walked this fjord from south to north to connect both sides. To mark this walk I removed the rocks from where I walked creating a clear line and connecting both sides of the fjord. Over time the tides and storms will rearrange the rocks and the line will no longer be visable.
Photo: Michiel Jansen
Filming: Michiel Jansen
Adding three centimeter to the highest point of Hestøya (2025)
My work always starts with walking. During this walks I gather. This can be physical elements like rocks, sticks or earth but mostely they are experiences impressions and spatial experiences. On one of my walks I found the highest point of the island and while sitting on that point I rembered a small, perfectly white stone I put in my pocket to give to my daughter when I came home. But at that point I decided to leave the rock there and create a new highest point with this rock which I found on a rocky beach, to lowest part of the island.
Photo: Michiel Jansen