Jack van Leeuwen

Through material, form and space I aim to create a serene environment that opens room for contemplation, meditation, non-thought and generally just being. The intention is to create a balanced, harmonious room, where there’s an invitation to decompress and reconnect with the self. I find that now more than ever, while there’s disaster, struggle and a fight for justice ongoing, it’s easy to fall into hopeless and helpless states of mind. As I’m feeling a personal struggle with the world and resisting its systems, I assume that others feel the same and figured we all need this moment - sometimes a forced moment - to take time to ground ourselves and come back to the present. The importance of giving ourselves this time to regain energy allows us to have the strength to continue our inward and outward battles.

Breathe, take a moment to breathe.

The lathe, the throwing wheel, the bench-

The choice of materials is led by this unifying element of ‘finding the centre’, with each material sharing this motion of turning, spinning, this act of going round and round. This idea of finding the centre while working with the materials also proves true for us as humans; finding our centre within, so we can also feel balanced without. This notion also plays out in the installation, creating a room that feels whole through the symmetry of forms and shapes. It also uses flowing water’s crucial importance to us and the world, as well as its calming sounds to infuse the space with its purifying presence. I encourage a grounded sensation to fill the space using materials that derive from the earth, in turn evoking similar emotions within the viewer.