New sound art installation CLOUD SEQUENCER 53°18'02.3"N - 5°05'12.0”E

For the first long term exhibit before and during ITGWO Festival 2017 at Vlieland, Netherlands.

This project is a first start for a new sound research project into the diversity of clouds, sun and wind in order to create a natural sequencer for a sound installation in public space. This site specific instrument consists out of seven solar powered bass organ pipe units interacting on the brightness of the sun to controle the loudness of the sound. In this way passing clouds form a natural sequencer for this installation. Each organ pipe unit is catching the wind with one of the smal sails, controlled by a system of pulley wheels and counter weights for pitching the sound of each organ pipe by a moving valve.

The weather conditions of the island determine how the sounds and its composition evolves as a constant changing requiem for the West Vlieland village which disappeared into the North Sea in 1736. As for the village this installation is completely handed over to the unpredictability of the weather. This plays a major part in the concept of this work. One has to accept the weather conditions in al its appearances. This means that it needs the sun, clouds and the wind to produce the variety of sounds. In other words, no sun no sound and no wind no pitching. What is left in this situation is the sound of nature itself.

for sound and moving images see this video!

Sound Architecture 07

the last one in the serie; about 5000 bicycle bel caps. moving in the wind. Sound Architecture 07

Exploring earthly sounds for nine candles

This site specific sound installation evokes the majestic cathedral located next to the Vishal Art Foundation in Haarlem's old city centre. The installation pays tribute to the cathedral's Müller organ by using the same materials and religious artefacts as in the church but in a completely other order and meaning. 

Here a meditative atmosphere is created trough a very slow and constant changing bass sound coming from this installation. By doing so, it reflects on the slowness, of change and decay of religion in the rapid modern world of today. But more so it appeals to our humanity, to the fragility of life and to the often imperceptible but progressive decay of mind and body.

The candles are in fact the musicians and their diversity in size slowly yet irregular transform the pitched sound of each organ pipe. In this way the overall sound is constantly changing which causes a rich diversity in low and soft sounding pulsating bass rhythms!

As an artist working with sound I was curious about pitching up ultra low bass pipe sounds in order to create a constant changing drone sound. To give an idea on the sound pitching speed, the smallest candles need to be changed every six ours while the thickest candles run more then five days. 

In other words, this installation requires daily care and attention.

The burning candles get shorter and cause a vertical movement in each mechanism. Because the candles' fat is burning away at the top, a special little shaft around the candles is drawn downwards thus, by way of a spring system which pushes the candle upward while it gets shorter, it pulls a wheel connected to a brass valve, opening it up on the front end of each organ pipe at the same speed to which the candles burn. In this way, the air column of each organ pipe gets shorter and pitches up their tone. The air pump is built in a rubber skin-covered box to kill the noise and blows up when the pump is starting to work. 

total size: 900 x 280 x 120 cm (lxwxh)
materials: brass, rubber, plywood, air pump, metal, candles, bass organ pipes
year: december 2016

here's a video for the sound (put up your volume or better, use a ear phone)

A new sculpture for the PopInnPark exhibition in Amsterdam.

'On the border of the unknown, on the edge of mystery, where discoveries take place'

The potential buyer has the choice to own it as an aesthetic artwork or to make an intervention in the wooden boxes in favour of the plants...

What doe it mean to have nature in urban area's. And what is the definition of this so called nature in an environment where we design, build and exploit almost every square meter to the fullest.
One can even use it as a conceptual bench and reflect about the statement above.

materials: Aloë Vera cactus, plywood
size: 285 x 45 x 60 cm (lxhxw)
year: april 2016

Installation 'For whom the tides toll 2.0' for solo show at Kapelica Gallery Ljubljana, Slovinia.

This solo show 'For whom the tides toll 2.0' runs till 15 november 2015. Kapelica Gallery

The pitch of the organ pipes will change by the evaporation of the water in the two vases in front of the windows. The pitch will change in a sequence of two weeks time...

size: 4 x 7 meter

the two vases with Papyrus plants will drink and evaporate the water and pitch the organ pipes.

New installation now on show at my solo 'Squaring the sphere'

New installation at my solo exhibtion 'Squaring the sphere' in Utica, New York is still running until october 11th 2015. The white building Whitesboro Str. 350. Hosted by Sculpture Space Utica New York.
In a sequence of 18 minutes it changes from an inflated to a totally deflated structure including a crackling sound...






Size: 16 ft wide x 11 ft high x 10 ft deep. Materials: MDPE plastic bags, pvc tubing, electronics, side-channel air pump.  # With the support of Mondriaan Fund #

New solo exhibition coming up in Utica, New York!

NEWS 
Still working on the last details of my newest installation 'Squaring the sphere'. But after a two month period (sept / oct. 2015), as an artist in residence at Sculpture Space in Utica, New York, I'm happy to announce my solo exhibition in a very special venue! More about that and pictures of the work will be shown later on...

Installation Wind Violins in South of France.

The installation 'Wind Violins' is installed again in front of the entrance of the Roman Theater in Arles, South of France.

Thanks to the municipality of Arles and curator Françoise Léger of Le Citron Jaune, Centre National des Arts de La Rue.  

New installation in exhibition in Munich, Germany.

'Time capsule of life 2.0'  
400 x 120 x 120 cm
Ronald van der Meijs
Exhibition:
Eres Foundation, Munich

SCIENTIFIC GARDENING

AN ANALYTICAL LOOK AT PLANTS IN ART AND THE SCIENCES

6 may - 27 june 2015 MUNICH, GERMANY

This seed structure will pump itself up and vacuum all the way in a sequence of 8 minutes. The bags create a typical cracking sound when they are feed with air. It sounds like falling raindrops after a rainy day in the woods....

HIGHLIKE BOOK 2014 finally published.

The 'HIGHLIKE BOOK' 2014 is finally published.
It's first edition has 584 pages with 577 artists from 35 countries.

Each work has two or three QR codes for video, text and pictures.

FILE and SESI Publishing

To order: website highlike

ISBN 978-85-8205-297-6

In the content is also one of my art installations; 'Play it one more time for me La Ville Fumee'

sound art installation: 'Play it one more time for me La Ville Fumee'
by Ronald van der Meijs.

Publication PUBLIC ART - URBAN SPACE of DESIGNERBOOKS.

Two of my art projects; 'Obscura Reverse' and 'Nature versus Synthetics' are published in this massive book.

Titel: Public Art - Urban Space.
Publisher: Designerbooks
Pages: 376
Dimensions: 215 x 285 x 30 mm
Color: four-color printing
Language: English
Binding: Paperback
Paper: Matte paper
ISBN-13: 978-988-12232-3-4

The pages!
'Nature versus Synthetics'

'Obscura Reverse'

Publication about Prix Triennal de Lanchelevici 2014.

Prix d'Intégration de Sculpture Monumentale a L'Urbanisme 2014.

Published by the Lanchelevici Foundation and Musee en Plein Air du Sart-Tilman / Université de Liege, Belgium.
www.museeplag.ulg.ac.be

Nominated with 'Obscura Reverse'.

First review about solo exhibition at CBK Drenthe.

The first review of the Ronald van der Meijs solo exhibition 'A Natural Order, Time and Rhythm' at the Centre for Contemporary Arts, CBK Drenthe, by Joep van Ruiten in 'Dagblad van het Noorden'.
This daily newspaper for the north of  Holland published a very positive review! Unfortunately for all the foreign readers it's in Dutch...

It's still to be seen till the end of february 2015.

My new solo exhibition has started!

The new version of the installation 'For whom the tides toll' is one of seven huge installations at my solo exhibition 'A Natural Order, Time & Rhythm'.

Venue: CBK Drenthe Centre for Contemporary Art, Assen, Netherlands. 2 dec 2014 - 28 feb 2015.

Two evaporative machines controle the tuning of the organ pipes of the installation For whom the tides toll.
The flowers in the vase are speeding up the evaporation proses and springs are pushing up the vase and pull the steel wires...

The installation 'Wind Violins'.

Thanks to the Mondriaan Fund, Gemeente Assen, FONDS 21, Provincie Drenthe, BH Fund , SNS Fund.