Before Returning Stones and Shale to Nature, Rein Kooyman Suspends Found Objects in String



Art
Nature

#installation
#leaves
#Rein Kooyman
#rocks
#wood

July 14, 2024

Jackie Andres

All images © Rein Kooyman, shared with permission

What does it take to find quietude amidst the chaos of everyday life? For some it may be deep breathing or practicing mindfulness, but for artist Rein Kooyman, moments of peace start with a walk.

Kooyman constantly travels back and forth from his Amesterdam studio to France, where he’s hiked Écrins National Park for the past nine years. He spends as much time as possible observing his surroundings on long walks, compelled to collect stones along the way. At first, the act of gathering stones and taking them back to Amsterdam felt like a method to tether him to the region, even from afar.

Over time, these efforts started to inform his practice. “Intuitively, I began tying the stones to strings, and each day, I added more,” Kooyman says. “The days spent tying the stones turned into weeks, and I couldn’t get enough of the rhythm of this simple activity. It brings me back to myself, to memories of the area, and to the constant desire to simplify my daily existence.”

Trekking up and down mountains, often with 30 kilograms of stones on his back, Kooyman contemplates the idea of gravity, which plays a large role in his suspended installations. From slate stones and river rocks to large leaves and curled slivers of tree bark, the artist creates assemblages of natural materials in consistent circular forms. Evoking moments of stillness, almost as if pausing time, each clustered entity awakens the spirit of France’s Southern Alps until Kooyman eventually dismantles the piece, returning each rock and leaf back to their origins, thus repeating the cycle.

Each month, the artist focuses on one installation that takes two to three weeks to complete. Kooyman is anticipating a solo show in the winter, which will conclude this project and allow him to start more performance-based works. Find more on Kooyman’s website and Instagram.

 

in a gallery space, many leaves are suspended from the ceiling with string. the leaves hang at different heights, forming a spherical shape.

in a gallery space, many river pebbles are suspended from the ceiling with string. the stones hang at different heights, forming a spherical shape.

in a gallery space, many slate stones are suspended from the ceiling with string. the stones hang at different heights, forming a spherical shape.

in a gallery space, many rocks are suspended from the ceiling with string. the rocks hang at different heights, forming a spherical shape.

an overhead shot of several leaves grouped together, each fixed with string

an overhead shot of several rocks and stones grouped together in wooden boxes, each fixed with string

the artist works on an installation in a gallery space, his body depicted with motion blue as he moves about.

 

#installation
#leaves
#Rein Kooyman
#rocks
#wood

 

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