Delta Life 8

DELTARES, OCTOBER 2017 21 How canwe involve citizens in invisible processes such as land subsidence or salinisation? Art goes a step further where the scientist's work stops. Researcher Esther van Baaren and artistWillem Besselink onmutual influences. BY BONNE VAN DER VEEN IMAGE WILLEM BESSELINK T wo colossal white hands rise out of the canals of Venice. They seem to support a building that could otherwise disappear into the water. The work is by artist Lorenzo Quinn, who shows in a beautiful way how science inspires art. The danger facing Venice is well known but this work makes more of an impression than numbers and reports. Blocks In Zeeland, one of the lowest parts of the Netherlands, there is another factor in addition to the flood risk: the eternal battle between salt water and fresh water. The dikes protect precious agricultural land but the groundwater below is being infiltrated by salt water. Scientist Esther van Baaren of Deltares is studying the phenomenon. A nice opportunity unexpectedly emerged to present the results of her work to the residents of Zeeland when the exhibition centre Bewaerschole in Burgh-Haamstede asked a number of artists to work with the subject. Artist Willem Besselink answered the call and came up with the idea of visualising the distribution of salt and fresh water underground below Burgh-Haamstede. Sunlight In his neat and tidy studio in Rotterdam, Willem Besselink scrolls on a MacBook to show his designs. The work in Zeeland consists of blocks covered with sheeting in different colours that correspond to the salt content in different layers of groundwater. During the day, the sunlight plays freely and produces constantly-changing mosaics. Like most of his other work, it is arranged so that visitors can walk through it and experience it optimally. 'They can see, smell and hear what can't be seen and that makes complex processes more understandable.' Willem Besselink likes to work with numbers and patterns. Alongside his art studies, he also studied maths for two years. 'Structures in daily events fascinate me. Because they are often invisible to the untrained eye, I look for ways to make them visible. So the creative process is often in the preparations, in the period before I begin on the work itself.' Helicopter Making the unseen visible is, of course, what Esther van Baaren does every day. She is working with scientific institute TNO and the German engineering firm BGR on the FRESHEM study. This project involves mapping out the entire distribution of salt water and fresh water below the surface of Zeeland. A helicopter flies back and forth across the land carrying an electromagnetic measurement system. Because salt water is ten times more conductive than fresh water, it is possible to visualise the salt content down to considerable depths (see also page 22). The worlds of science and art meet in the technical model: this is where complex reality is structured. Esther Van Baaren shows Willem how he can analyse the data and where the groundwater is fresh or salty. And in that way the creative work begins: transforming the data from the flights into a work of art. Esther: 'I'm not an art expert but I was impressed by Willem's work and his approach.' Interpretation There is still one major difference with science, say Esther and Willem: in art, feeling is more important than understanding. Willem deliberately provides visitors with almost no information about what is on show. 'I usually give just a small clue to get people on their way, for example in the title. I think it's important for them to make their own interpretation of what they see. People often tell me they are moved by what I make. For me, that's wonderful.' After going on show at Burgh- Haamstede last summer, the installation was also exhibited in the Maria Hemelvaart church in Aardenburg. Obviously after being adapted to show the specific structure of the local sub­ surface. Lorenzo Quinn's sculpture in Venice can be seen until the end of November. Lorenzo Quinn’s sculpture in Venice