mieke van den berg
Sunshine Coast based artist and place-maker, Mieke van den Berg creates site-responsive installations, sculptures, drawings, and performances. Van den Berg’s process-based practice investigates how we navigate through and connect to places and others. She plays with light, sound, airflow and architecture and creates textural interventions that change the meaning and perception of familiar and unfamiliar spaces. The immersive installations invite the audience to have a sensory and mindful experience and build a connection with the site. Mieke holds an Honours in Fine Art at the Sunshine Coast University. She won the Local Artist Award in Sculpture on the Edge 2023. In 2020, she won the excellence award in the Local Artist – Local Content Art Prize and was a finalist in the Lyn McCrea Memorial Drawing Prize. Her art has been showcased in group and solo exhibitions across the Sunshine Coast. She participated in residencies in Australia and the UK.
‘Earthbound Echoes’ is a captivating outdoor art installation composed of two frames made from reclaimed roof battens positioned at opposing ends of the site. Red threads appear to vanish into the earth, fostering the illusion of subterranean connection. The primary intention of the ‘Earthbound Echoes’ installation is to challenge conventional notions of space, objects, and the human sense of time and place. These two parallel elements mirror each other, skillfully creating the illusion of separation while remaining profoundly connected.
Can you describe your creative process from concept to completion?
It all starts with a response to the site. I take photos and notes of standout elements of interest, jot down keywords in my visual diary, and open up to any ideas and associations in a mindmap. I research the history, physical features, flora and fauna of the site and add this to the mindmap. Ideas and concepts reveal themselves from there, and intense sketching and idea development follow. I pause and let this settle for a day or so and go back over this process until a few concepts start forming a story and connecting to the site. This is where I start looking at what materials and methods will best express the story through play and experimenting. I document all the tests and refine the concept in more detailed sketches, narrowing down and sourcing the materials for the fabrication of the installation. Before I do the final work, I will make a miniature version and test all the technical elements, which often requires some engineering. I enjoy this part, the unravelling and puzzling of solutions to give the installation or sculpture a professional and aesthetically pleasing finish. When all the details are worked out, it is time to fabricate the sculpture or prepare to execute the installation onsite.
Where do you look for inspiration? What themes do you find most interesting?
My practice is process based and I create sensory experiences that invite audiences to be present, mindful and more connected. My inspiration comes from various elements in a space or site. I consider architecture, light, sound, the landscape, empty space, and the names and meanings of flora and fauna found in the area and reinterpret them into concepts that connect people to the site and each other.
What role does location or environment play in your sculptures?
My practice is process-based and site-responsive. I consider various elements in a space or site; architecture, light, sound, the landscape, empty space, and the names and meanings of flora and fauna found in the area and reinterpret them into concepts that connect people to the site and each other. These elements will determine the material and process in which I create sensory experiences that invite audiences to be present, mindful and more connected to the site and each other.
How do you feel when you see people interacting with your sculptures?
It’s a thrilling experience to witness the audience engaging with my work. I derive immense pleasure from observing people as they uncover the layers and connections within the materials and processes I’ve used, revealing the stories and connections within the work.
Describe your dream project.
A few years ago, I developed a concept for a large immersive installation that is activated by audience participation. It will be adaptable to various sites, such as parks and festivals. I would like to see it travel the world, activate big cities, and be installed in the Turbine Hall at the Tate Modern in London.
Come and see for yourself at SWELL Sculpture Festival, Pacific Parade, Currumbin 6th – 15th September.