het nieuwe instituut exhibits the history of wood throughout society

het nieuwe instituut exhibits the history of wood throughout society
all images courtesy of het nieuwe instituut

‘wood: the cyclical nature of materials, sites, and ideas’ is an exhibition in rotterdam’s het nieuwe instituut that explores the cultural meanings of wood and forests on the spectrum drawn by cyclic histories of material, political and social dynamics. curated by dan handel and designed by jannetje in’t veld with toon koehorst, research was performed with the understanding that forests play a complex role in our cultural imagination. when referred to as pristine natural sites or when organized as factories, they maintain the ambivalence of being both tangible environments, slowly developing over time, and abstract sites of production shaped by the relentless cycles of the economy. they are also the ultimate source of timber. the flow of wooden materials and products traces repetitive processes through which nature is being domesticated just to go back to cities again. as a result, objects used on a daily basis simultaneously embody the extreme rationalization of forest environments and their hidden, often irrational ramifications.

the display begins by tracing the omnipresence of wood in our lives, from the smallest intricacy to the planetary scale, where everyday objects, furnitures, and infrastructural elements are shown. focus is then shifted towards a corridor explaining the recurring decline and return of forests around the world. tapestries, paintings, videos, and photographs explore them as natural and artificial environments. observers are offered reflections on the economic functions they play in the development of markets, the construction of identities, and the hosting of experiments. visitors conclude their journey with visuals that delve into the uncanny nature of forests. with this information, the exhibition highlights the resonance and unexpected innovations they invoke, real and abstract, across multiple disciplines such as science, design and architecture.

wooden trenches in world war 1
photo © hands heldenbrand

the project includes works from the galleries of het nieuwe instituut, the canadian centre for architecture, delft university of technology, rilksmusem, tropenmuseum, and museum boijmans van beuningen. thus, aldo bakker, charles & ray eames, ludwig hilberseimer, chris kabel, claus mattheck, lukas oleniuk, lex pott, cedric price, seARCH, hendrik wijdeveld, james wines, peter zumthor, and others are credited throughout the collection.

fragments of nature by lex pott

genetically modified tree farm in oregon
photo © austin granger

installation of wood objects by ernst van der hoeven

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.