The work is a scale. On one side 12 flowers, 130cm tall. Oversized, wellnurtered. They spin. They move around. They dance. On the other side a filled balloon marked To Nurture.
In winter 2011 I went to Kenya for a vacation. It was my first visit since I lived there a few years, as a child, 25 years ago. It was a joyful experience to feel the earth again, enjoy the nature and the friendly people. Emotional – in many different ways. I visited one of my favorite places a lake where we used to go birdwatching.
There was still birds around but the lake was complety different. Two years ago all the fish died. Some plants from South America was imported to help the lake to get a better quallity of water. Now one of them had completely taken over, making Islands of green in the once open water, creating difficulties for Hippos on move. Why has this happened?
In the eighties this are was not much inhibited. Now approximately 20000 peole live here, working with largescale farming of roses for European Market. Roses is one of the important exportproducts keeping many people busy. It has changed the landscape. Row after row of enormous greenhouses. You cannot see the end. I know that in Central America Rose Farming has been a quite chemicalintense process. Nobody could tell me how it was done here. Big signs with no visitors allowed.
Some workers got good salary and living quaters, others minimum wages. This depended on what company they worked for, most of them foreign, very few Kenyan owners. A women told me she works evening night shift to pick the flowers so they can be shipped in time to be att the big Flower Market in Holland early next morning. What is going on in the world?
In the work Resilience I let the flowers carry a heavy load of water and nourishment. I wonder: What are we doing to the nature? What are the consequences of a disturbed balance?