Body of Water (EN)

A physical installation that combines water, metal and movement.
Water has always fascinated me, and with this work I explore that
connection. For this installation I created round hammered metal plates which shape the path of water as it flows or drips over the metal, guiding the water to split, meet, and then spread out again – recreating the movements of water in nature and within ourselves.

Water has the magical capability to intertwine and separate, to find it’s way back towards each other.

But even when water is apart,
every drop
every river
every wave
every body will always be connected.

As a child I was speaking to the rain,
and the sea heard me as well.

I’m Tijn Maria, based in Utrecht. The distance that has been created between humans and nature inspires me to find the bridges where we connect. I find these connections in my research using human and nature’s patterns and processes – from the cellular to the cosmic. These patterns can be found physically, but also in behaviour, rituals, and recurring cycles. By exploring the similarities and differences we share, I gain a better understanding of what part I play in the whole, where I’m woven into, and what it all means. I create through these questions, not to solve them but to stay in dialogue with them.

My works can take different forms – in visual works as illustrations, animations and physical sculptures, to sound-based pieces, including songs. I work hands on with water, ink and the voice grandmother gave me.

This work was displayed during the festival in 2025.