‘Balls of Light’(2010/2012)

• 2 x 2 x 5 willow branches, wire,

shrink film and stainless steel

• Noorderzon, Vos Maupertuus,

Appingedam, CBK Groningen,

Bolsward

Installation of Balls and light. Various situated: ground, mobile, hanging etc. For Performing Artfestival, Designshop and artroutes.

‘Hangend Water’ ‘Hanging Water’ (2006)

• 25 x 30 x 3 meter, American oak,

shrink film, cable ties

• Art in Nature Drenthe,

Schoonoord (Holland)

Hanging Water is composed of mulitiple large drops of human proportion. The drops are hanging in the woods of Sleenerzand forest preserve. The work is a homage to the men who dug out the canal ‘Oranjekanaal’ by hand and planted the forest in the 19th century. Inspite of their exertions the Oranjekanaal never brought the economic prosperity, which was planned for. Years after date the canal is even unusable and became still water.

‘Vrijkunst’ 2010 - ...

• verious sizes and material

• location Northern Netherlands

In the tradition of Land-Art: walks in nature areas making temporarily artwork on route.Remaining picures and short prose text in which the wandering and making of the work is set out in words.

‘Leaf Seats for London’ (2012)

• Arauco plywood, Ecotherme

Isolation and Universal

Roofmembrame

• The Building Centre, show Faces

of British Architecture

Assignment from Icopals Marketing department resulted in nine unique objects escpecially designed for Icopal. Leafshaped seats and tables made out of layered roofing products. The layering of the three kinds of material can be seen as the floors of buildings, refering to architecture. The leafshapes relates to the fact nature takes his place in Icopal product philosophy (Eco-Activ). The abstracted leafs itself are situated as if they are attached to a branche. Leaving this twig away a typical ordened, but in consistency, group is situated in the gallery. Like a leafshaped group of buidings.

‘Boom’ ‘Tree’ (2008)

• 15 x 9 x 7 meter, Ulmus

Columella (zuilvormige iep),

Stainless Steel (RVS)

• Regiopolitie Groningen en CBK

Groningen

Boom is a permanent work for Regional Police Groningen and CBK Groningen. This work is situated on detention centre for short term detention. The work shields off one tree of the other 25 trees (treeplan made by artist). The trees symbolize the society and the jailed. Also the trees adds the element of grow to the work. Grow, seasens, weather, reflection of stainless steel give the work every day another view. Boom is opened by Nehabat Albayrak, State Secretary of Justice in 2008.

‘Pronkbonen’Growing beans (2012)

• 85 x 5 x 4 meters

Amerivan oak, wire, concrete

and Phaseolus vulgaris Emergo

Pronkboon

• Tuin en kunst tiendaagse,

Marketing Groningen, UMCG,

Gemeente Groningen

Growing installation for City Marketing Groningen and UMCG (Hospital). Running till end of september 2012. Participation project with among others Probation Netherlands, UMCG, a primary school, De Bolster, Staasbosbeheer etc. The structure is based on the project Grow in Assen 2007. A large plan of poles of beans where ‘stadjers’ (Groninger townspeople) can harvest beans in the middle of the city of Groningen. Sponteneous the University Center for Psychiatry give support by doing mainteance by their daytime activities team. Also ‘stadjers’ often send by e-mail thanks for the project and free meals. Project ended with ‘Pronkbonenlunch’ on location.

Pronkbonenlunch op locatieWoensdag 19 september van 12:30 uur tot 13:30 uur

Marketing Groningen nodigt u van harte uit voor de ‘Pronkbonenlunch’. Het groeikunstwerk van Merijn Vrij getiteld ‘Pronkbonen’ groeit al de hele zomer van 2012 en er wordt door stadjers al weken volop van gegeten. Ter afsluiting van dit Land Art en participatieproject in stad Groningen een kleine bijeenkomst met betrokkenen en geïnteresseerden: een oogstfeest op locatie verzorgd door Hidzer Kookt. Graag tot ziens!

Wilt u per mail aangeven of u aanwezig bent en met hoeveel personen?, graag uiterlijk 17 september. Alvast dank.Locatie: grasveld naast het gebouw van Universitair Centrum Psychiatrie op de hoek Antonius Deusinglaan en SS Rosensteinlaan. Voor vragen en aanmelding: info@marketinggroningen.nl of telefoonnummer 050 3199764.

Pronkbonen is mede mogelijk gemaakt door: Gemeente Groningen, stichting Erven A. de Jager en het Samenwerkingsverband Noord Nederland. In samenwerking met: Marketing Groningen, UMCG, Universitair Centrum Psychiatrie, Reclassering Nederland / Werkstrafunit Groningen, Iederz, Staatsbosbeheer Sleen, De Bolster Biologische Zaden, GA! Groningen, basisschool De Kleine Wereld en Vrienden van

‘Kom’ ‘Bowl’ (2005)

• 8 x 8 x 4 meter, pealed willow

branches, wire, cable ties,

agriculture tarpaulin.

• Artroute De Leegte (area called

‘Emptiness’), East-Groningen

(Holland)

In this bowl the view on the landscape is blocked. The visitor can experience the emptiness.

‘Evenwicht’ ‘Balance’ (2003)

• 25 x 10 x 2,5 meter

driftwood, waste material,

birdwings, sail, branches, steel,

plastic, wind

• Oerol 2003, location-specific

theatre festival, Artroute ‘Moving

Horizon’ (Holland)

The installation ‘Balance’ is a group of thirteen sculptures in the young dunes on the beach of the island Terschelling. On one end of the sculptures there is a weight and on the other is fashioned a makeshift sail from various odds and ends. All used material is topical, like driftwood and waste material found on the northern coastline of Terschelling beach. The artworks are constantly moving, buffeted by the wind. It is all a matter of balance.

‘Waterlijn’

‘Waterline’ (2007)

• 52 x 7 x 1,5 meter, willow

branches, wire, shrink film, cable

ties.

• Sommerinsel, Ludwigshafen am

Rhein (Germany)

Meandering hanging installation in the oaks of Parkinsel, adjacent to the river Rhein. The height (1,5 meter) shows the possible grow (level) of the river Rhein. The form is inspired by the waterline bringing driftwood along the river-site. During the festival ‘Sommerinsel’ a lot of people wandered around the work, children played and enjoyed ‘Waterline’.

‘Groei’‘Grow’ (2007)

• 35 x 4 x 5 meter, peach branches,

agriculture cow wire, beans, time

• Gouvernor Garden, Municipal

Assen (Holland)

The park in the middle of Assen city-center was an vegetable garden in de 19th century.The installation ‘Grow’ refers to the past of the Gouvernor Garden. A thirty-five meters long installation of large scale beanpoles is sett up in the lawn. Time changes the shape and exterior of this installation during the growseason. The installation shows the cyclus of plant out, growing and die. The beans are harvested during the project by the citizens of Assen.

‘Hoor’ ‘Hear’ (2008)

• 3 x 12m, willow, shrink film and

cable ties

• Naturepark Lelystad ‘Burl’, FKV /

Lelystad (Holland)

The burling of the dear is visualized in a large horn. The spectacle rutting-season is

‘Schuur’‘Shed’ (2007)

• 8 x 7 x 5 meter, shed, willow

branches, wire

• Vice Versa Try-out, Gallery Defka

Assen (Holland)

Installation in shed falled into disrepair on the terrain of Gallery Defka. An explosian of branches referes to the future demolition of the Gallery garden to make place for a new multifunctonal theatre.

‘Growing Heart’ Sketch Lelystad (2009)

• steel, alluminum, tree

• City of Lelystad

Sketches for Landmarks for City of Lelystad. Growing a tree in sculpture on traffic roundabout. Studies and presentations for ten rotunda in Lelystad by several artist. Total project was stopped because of lack of budget.

‘Rustling Leaves’ Sketch Voices of Forest (2011)

• bamboo, gourd

• Dà Nóng Dà Fù Lowland Forest

Park, Taiwan

Asked for making a sketch for a new park in Taiwan. Growing pavillion out of bamboo, steel and gourd.

‘Lijnen van gras’ ‘Lines of grass’ (2009)

• ‘2 x 2 x 6 m, Grass, wire

• ‘Vice Versa, University of

Groningen Fine Arts / Minerva

Installation out of grass which was harvested close to the exhibition location (A28). Woven and binded together in long strings pointing out to the skylight in the gallery. Made on location for cultural exchange show: Bristol (GB) and Groningen (NL).

‘IJsoog’ ‘Ice-eye’ (2008)

• 2 x 1 meter, exclusive tree, ice

and wire

• Stadspark Groningen

Very temporarily artwork in public space. While ice was melting constructed an eye in a tree with bowed branches.

‘Vapeur Croissante’ Growing Steam (2010)

• 40 m x 40 m, 3 meter high.

Willow, steel, gourds.

• Parc de Wessrling, France

Festival des jardins métissés

Stilled form of a cloud of steam is based for Vapeur Croissante. Situated in a Victorian parc as if the work was fallen down from above, like a piece of bird droppings. In this way it was a brutal intervention in the strict parkplan. During the growing season covered with eatable gourds. A pavilion where visitors gathered and chilled. A cooking workshop by visitors and artist participating in making a delicious gourdsoup was part of the work.

‘Flock of Birds’ (2009)

• 35 m x 5 m, 6 meter high.

Bamboo, reed.

• Guandu Sculpture Festival 2009,

Taipei / Taiwan

The installation is inspired by the nature phenomenon of bird migration and the flock of birds. Organic shape. Waving horizontal strings woven onto vertical stacks of bamboo. The final shape and pattern was modified on the site. The installation is inspired on a flock of birds but at the end it became an autonomous work, free to fill in by the beholder. In Taiwan lots of people called it ‘Flying Dragon’ which is a saying meaning ‘fantastic’. It was an multi viewable installation, from bridge, from path and also on the site ‘in the sculpture’. After construction the work the birds and the fast growing nature took over the installation again and it became a natural part of the Guandu Park. It lasted all 2009 Typhoons.