June 2021, Rotterdam, The Netherlands 51°53'28.3"N 4°32'49.0"E

Once a vessel of mass transportation designed to shield modern goods from the elements, now paradoxically shelters these very elements, nursing its fertile contents. This sacred space, ensconced in metal, offers a retreat from daily life while simultaneously underscoring its own artificiality.

Standing underneath the skylight you see the light falling over the moss and damp green leaves accompanied by a spectacle of small dots of light filtering through the holes drilled to water the plants during rainfall. Slabs of wood are mounted on the wall with small human figures crafted from river clay resting on it. A magical feeling associated with myth’s and fairytales might be spoiled by the weary and defeated poses of the sculptures nestled within the dim, cool space.

The project took more than three months to complete because I was only able to transform the space little by little. It took weeks to dig up the sand and place it in the container. For a month I went to the forest nearly every day to look for specific plants and mosses. Drilling the holes in the roof, making the skylight, digging out a path in front, sawing off the tree slabs by hand, digging up natural clay and making the sculptures. The project was demanding perseverance, patience and often a lot of physical effort, but in the process, I was slowly rejuvenating my own spirit following a period of stagnation. I carefully tended to the garden within me.