Hawk Eye, (2020)
WALDEINSAMKEIT invites eight artists to reside in the castle parc of Wildenburg. Jonas Dehnen, Stan D’haene, Günbike Erdemir, Mark Grootes, Eline Harmse, Jules Labath, Hilde Onis and Martijn Petrus create alternative narratives by means of presenting relics in the sections of this composed landscape. The untranslatable feeling of Waldeinsamkeit, a literary motive originating from the era of romanticism, presents a safe and hidden interconnectedness with nature, the overwhelming, aesthetic sentiment following the loneliness in the forest. This kind of Natureingang expresses itself through eight weekly residencies, wherein each individual artist will offer an artistic response on this motive. WALDEINSAMKEIT collects in this manner eight variations on the same topic under one overarching tale. The residues of the residencies explore new perspectives though the commemoration of these fictional inhabitants of the Wildenburg site.

The hawk being on top of the bird pecking order, the colors and shape of their eye are considered the most effective visual and silent way to deter most bird species and are often used in scarecrows.
At the same time, a hawk’s eye symbolizes sharp-sightedness, alertness, an inescapable glance. The intense-colored sculpture made of natural materials such as fat, kurkuma, birdseeds and different sorts of berries, stands out guarding the landscape, acting as a talisman protecting the forest, while at the same time facilitating the adoption of a revised paradigm to the species and their socially conditioned nature. The sculpture researches the opportunity to challenge the fear instigated by a certain visual representation, inviting other bird species to literally peck at the eye of the hawk. The eye is continuously seen by a wildlife camera that films when it detects any warm-blooded being.

WALDEINSAMKEIT is made possible with the generous support of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.