Bulb full of biodiversity!
Art in Bloom: Rafael Martig paints for healthy soil
Artist and biologist Rafael Martig brings art to life - and this time he does it in a very special way: live, on a giant tulip bulb!
In collaboration with Tulpenmanie Leiden, the Leiden University of Applied Sciences and Naturalis, Rafael will paint an almost 2-meter high tulip bulb at three locations in Leiden:
Het Gebouw, Hogeschool Leiden and currently in the Hortus Botanicus. From July 5, the bulb will be on display on its permanent location in the front garden of Hogeschool Leiden.
Artist Rafael Martig
The giant bulb tells the story of Leiden, with recognizable buildings and iconic places, but also shows something less visible: life in the soil. Come and see how art, science and nature come together - live and in the moment! The public is invited and encouraged to join the conversation about the importance of biodiversity.
Detail on the giant tulip bulb
On the bulb, Rafael Martig depicts the groundbreaking soil research of Hogeschool Leiden and Naturalis. This research focuses on mapping biodiversity in the soil (using metagenomics) - and why it is so important. Because: the richer the life in the soil, the richer the nature above it. Read here how the soil research is done.
During the three weeks that Rafael painted in Het Gebouw, after-school activities around the theme of 'biodiversity' were organised by Tulpenmanie Leiden.
With this traveling, growing art installation, the project aims to raise awareness for the importance of healthier soil. The emphasis is on the difference between organic cultivation, without pesticides, and traditional tulip cultivation. With organic tulip cultivation, the soil life is given the chance to recover and flourish - just like the tulips above it.
Detail of Het Gebouw and the Hooglandse kerk
The artworks, made by the children who participated in the after-school activities of Tulpenmanie Leiden, have been transformed into one large biodiversity collage by artist Anna Fine Foer.
The giant sphere was moved from Hgeschool Leiden to the Hortus Botanicus partly using a handcart.
