works by silvan laan


LIME CYCLE (2022) Wanting to pay heed to the alchemical imperative solve et coagula (dissolve and coagulate) I did an experiment involving the so-called lime cycle. Carbon dioxide is burned out of limestone (a form of calcium carbonate) to produce lime, which slowly again absorbs CO2 as it turns back to limestone over months and years. Yellow Bird, Cannon county, Tennessee. Filmed by Emily C. Thomas.


URBAN YARD (2023) Design for an urban yard in Amsterdam. Main feature is an ornate circular terrace in brick and cobblestone with sand/lime mortar. It incorporates a meandering path, an heirloom from previous inhabitants.


BASALT (2017 — 2018) Collages of photographs of basalt rocks on the sea dyke of Zeeuws-Vlaanderen. Digital print behind laser-cut passe-partout. The work was part of the group exhibition Art of the South, Crosstown Arts, Memphis, Tennessee, 2018.


SHEW STONES (2018 — ) With Emily C. Thomas. One of the largest deposits of obsidian (volcanic glass) is located in the high desert near Burns, Oregon. We worked with a local lapidary to produce a series of obsidian "shew stones", after the divinatory devices used by Renaissance occultists like John Dee. The Shew Stones are to be used in social practice, starting in 2020 as part of Bridging the Distance, an initiative by UrbanArtsCommission, Memphis, Tennessee.


INVERTED BIRD BLIND (2016 — 2017) In the ordinary bird blind, views are directed from the inside outward, as the birdwatcher hides in anticipation. Inverted Bird Blind directs views from the outside in, towards painted sketches of local bird species on the interior walls. Curated by David Wood, Yellow Bird, Cannon county, Tennessee. Tree house diary Fall 2022.


VIRGO RISING (2016) With Emily C. Thomas. For an event marking the Fall equinox at Yellow Bird we engraved a slab of natural limestone, depicting the constellations at the moment of sunrise on the Fall equinox in the Age of Pisces. The engraving was accompanied by a 1300-foot line of solar lights hugging the hills, oriented due east—west (the exact points of sunrise and sunset on the equinox.)


FIELD LINES (2016) The 2016 graduation exhibition of Sandberg Institute took place in Aldo van Eyck's orphanage. I proposed a re-alignment of the building to the magnetic north pole. Photo Marijn Smulders.


FALCON FLIGHT (2016) Zuidas is a high-rise office quarter in Amsterdam that hosts alpine species like the peregrine falcon. "Falcon Flight" was made with the help of independent British falcon researcher Richard Sale. A flight path recorded with a gps-device, strapped to the back of a captive peregrine falcon, was made into a virtual reality experience. Curated by TAAK, funded by the City of Amsterdam, Stadsdeel Zuid.


PROBIOTICS FOR PUBLIC SPACE (2016) The installation invites the colonisation of micro-organisms, fungi and plants on pocks of lava. Hosted by VU Hortus, curated by TAAK, funded by the City of Amsterdam, Stadsdeel Zuid.


OAK SCARF (2014) Together with psychiatric patients living at Willem Arntszhoeve, Den Dolder, I realised a performance and installation honouring an oak tree on the premises of the institution. Participants made drawings on white handkerchiefs which were then tied together, creating a scarf. (Student project for the Cure Master program at Sandberg Instituut.) Photo Anton Mansour.


IJDOORN BIRD BLIND (2012 — 2014) A commission to design a bird blind in polder IJdoorn, a wetland administered by Vereniging Natuurmonumenten, just north of Amsterdam. I refer to the traditional Japanese ceremonial tori-i gate, which denotes the border between sacred and profane realms. The blind consists of a clay mound, prefab concrete slabs, galvanised steel footings, steel bolts, and a timber frame and bench. Carpentry by Jorrit Vijn, photo Elmer van der Marel. My gratitude goes out to Frank van Groen and Vogelwerkgroep Amsterdam.


EATERY (2014) A project for an eatery at Waterlooplein in the centre of Amsterdam. The dodecahedral shape refers to the nearby statue of Spinoza, which shows the 17th century philosopher flanked by a platonic solid. Student project for the MArch preparatory year at Academie van Bouwkunst, Amsterdam.


ANT TRAIL (2008) As artist in residence at Youkobo Art Space, Tokyo, I produced a photo installation, re-creating the movements of invertebrates that I had previously video-recorded in Surinam.


JIGSAW CHAIR (2007 — 2012) A plywood chair assembled from cnc-routed jigsaw pieces. A version in HPL (High Pressure Laminate) was made at a private client's request.


CHAIN LINK (2006) A modular and versatile furniture piece out of recycled cardboard, mdf and iron clamping levers.


BIRDWALK (2004) Collage of the erratic flight paths of small birds, digitally re-created from video-recordings. Sculptural models of canopy walkways reflecting said flight paths. Final project at the Architectural Design department, Gerrit Rietveld Academie, Amsterdam.


NO TITLE (2003) An intervention during the Landjuweel cultural festival in Ruigoord. Bamboo stakes marked with white paint, planted in straight rows randomly intersecting.


mail: silvan.laan[at]xs4all.nl


Unless stated otherwise, text and images by Silvan Laan. All rights reserved. Last modified 11/11/2023