The Tropism Art & Science Collective is an 'art - triggering - awareness' foundation first founded in 1986.
I am co-founder of the art movement and foundation. It has its own extensive site.
BIOGRAPHY
Of the Tropism Art & Science Foundation
A tropism (from Greek τρόπος, tropos, 'a turning') is a biological phenomenon, indicating growth or turning movement of a biological organism, usually a plant, in response to an environmental stimulus” (Wikipedia). The most common example of tropism is a plant growing in the direction of light.
The Tropism was founded some forty years ago in 1986 by Alfred Marseille, Robin Noorda and Bob van Walderveen († 1995). Current members also include Menno Schrap, Margot van de Stolpe, Paul Godschalk and a range of guest Tropists.
Taking their lead from the biological phenomenon, the Tropists are a Dutch collective of installation artists, photographers, media artists, designers, cineasts and scientists. In their work they deal with phenomena occurring literally or figuratively at the edge of perception - events that are hardly noticed, but which lead to a reaction similar to the manner in which a plant responds to light (e.g. phototropism.) The Tropists feel a great affinity with the natural world and their works seek to depict natural phenomena in new and unusual ways.
A dozen years of exhibitions, films, performances and light installations
2009 Red-end and the Seemingly Symbiotic Society - stop-motion animation film, international film festival awards
2010 Shivering Beauty - Soundscape of Mongolia, directors cut of the broadcasted documentary film
2012 Feeding the Giant Burping Carnivorous Pitcher Plants - Museum-night Hortus Botanicus Amsterdam - performance and film
2012 Flora Sonora - Museum-night Hortus Botanicus Amsterdam - performances and film
2013 Photosynthesis - Hortus Botanicus Amsterdam - exhibition, installations, films
2014 Sneaky Serpents - Amsterdam Light Festival - light installation
2014 This Is It, be here now - Amsterdam Light Festival - light installation
2015 Red-end and the Factory Plant - stop-motion animation film, nominated 'Gouden Kalf', international filmfestival awards
2015 Photosynthesis - Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Scotland - exhibition, performance, installations, films
2015 Sneaky Serpents - Norrköping Light Festival, Sweden - light installation
2016 Sneaky Serpents - Noorderzon Festival Groningen - light installation
2016 You lookin' at me? - Amsterdam Light Festival - light installation
2017 Sneaky Serpents - Shenzhen Seaworld Cultural Festival, China - light installation
2017 You lookin' at me? - I light Marina Bay, Singapore light festival - light installation (800.000 visitors)
2017 You lookin' at me? - Vivid Sydney - light installation in the Royal Botanic Gardens of Sydney (1.2 million visitors)
2018 Tropism Lab - Flower Art Museum - permanent wing for the Photosynthesis exhibition
2018 Ultra Vanity - Grachten Galerie Utrecht, Masterly The Hague, Flower Art Museum - photography exhibitions
2019 Ultra Vanity - Schimmelpennik Gallery, ART The Hague, Sandvoort Gallery, Flower Art Museum - photography exhibitions
2019 Sonotrope - Cinedans in Eye Film Museum, VR music-sculpting-dance performance, work in progress
2019 Biomassive Clear-Cut - documentary film (Dutch version went viral)
2019 Sonotrope - Overkill Festival, VR motion to music-sculpting performance with modular synthesizers, work in progress
2020 De miljoenenfraude van De Key - documentary film
2020 This is it, be here now - Battersea, London, Light Festival Knokke-Heist, Belgium - light installation
2021 Rebirth of Venus - short animated arthouse film, international filmfestival awards
Awards and nominations
2021 - the film Rebirth of Venus, fiftteen international film festival awards
2009 - the film 'Red-end and the Seemingly Symbiotic Society': Utrecht, HAFF 09 opening film, Moviesquad Award, Espinho, Cinanima 09, Award for Best Short Film.
2010 - the film 'Red-end and the Seemingly Symbiotic Society': Tallinn, Animated Dreams Festival, Brain-tap Award for Best Film;
Angers, Premiers Plans - Audience Award Best European Short Film; Nijmegen, Go-short festival, nomination Best Dutch film; Utrecht, Dutch Film Festival, nomination ‘Golden Calf’; St. Petersburg; International Festival of Animation Art, special mention for unconventional look; Annecy International Animation Film Festival, nomination; Cartoon d'Or, nomination.
2015 - in competition for the Dutch Film Award 'Golden Calf' of the stop motion animation film 'Red-end and the Factory Plant'.
2015 - the exhibition 'Photosynthesis' in the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh shortlisted for the Fringe Sustainable Practice Award.
2016 - 'Red-end and the Factory Plant': Award at the NCAIAF animation film festival in Sapporo, Japan; an Honourable Mention for the Devour! Golden Tine Award for Best Animation in Canada; nominated Clermont Ferrand International Short Film Festival.
2016 'You lookin' at me?' Awarded with the first prize by the children jury of the Amsterdam Light Festival.
2017 - Finalist for International Garden Photographer of the Year (IGPOTY) in the category Still life with the Ultra Vanity series.
2021 - Sneaky Serpents, winner for the MANA 2020 CITIC Press Lightening Selection in the Outdoor Works of Light category (China).
Recent publication:
2015 Photosynthesis, shedding new lights on plants, printed catalogue and app version, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
Mission
Sustainability and awareness are areas of interest and are involved in most of the Tropistic works although the artists do not emphasize this. It is a message well wrapped to be revealed and experienced as a personal discovery and thus hopefully persist better in the mind of the spectator.
A good example of that is our travelling exhibition Photosynthesis, consisting of 122 photographic works, 2 installations and 10 films targeted at shedding new light on plants.
More information can be found at www.tropism.eu
studio: Loods 6, KNSM laan 155, 1019 LC Amsterdam
I am co-founder of the art movement and foundation. It has its own extensive site.
BIOGRAPHY
Of the Tropism Art & Science Foundation
A tropism (from Greek τρόπος, tropos, 'a turning') is a biological phenomenon, indicating growth or turning movement of a biological organism, usually a plant, in response to an environmental stimulus” (Wikipedia). The most common example of tropism is a plant growing in the direction of light.
The Tropism was founded some forty years ago in 1986 by Alfred Marseille, Robin Noorda and Bob van Walderveen († 1995). Current members also include Menno Schrap, Margot van de Stolpe, Paul Godschalk and a range of guest Tropists.
Taking their lead from the biological phenomenon, the Tropists are a Dutch collective of installation artists, photographers, media artists, designers, cineasts and scientists. In their work they deal with phenomena occurring literally or figuratively at the edge of perception - events that are hardly noticed, but which lead to a reaction similar to the manner in which a plant responds to light (e.g. phototropism.) The Tropists feel a great affinity with the natural world and their works seek to depict natural phenomena in new and unusual ways.
A dozen years of exhibitions, films, performances and light installations
2009 Red-end and the Seemingly Symbiotic Society - stop-motion animation film, international film festival awards
2010 Shivering Beauty - Soundscape of Mongolia, directors cut of the broadcasted documentary film
2012 Feeding the Giant Burping Carnivorous Pitcher Plants - Museum-night Hortus Botanicus Amsterdam - performance and film
2012 Flora Sonora - Museum-night Hortus Botanicus Amsterdam - performances and film
2013 Photosynthesis - Hortus Botanicus Amsterdam - exhibition, installations, films
2014 Sneaky Serpents - Amsterdam Light Festival - light installation
2014 This Is It, be here now - Amsterdam Light Festival - light installation
2015 Red-end and the Factory Plant - stop-motion animation film, nominated 'Gouden Kalf', international filmfestival awards
2015 Photosynthesis - Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Scotland - exhibition, performance, installations, films
2015 Sneaky Serpents - Norrköping Light Festival, Sweden - light installation
2016 Sneaky Serpents - Noorderzon Festival Groningen - light installation
2016 You lookin' at me? - Amsterdam Light Festival - light installation
2017 Sneaky Serpents - Shenzhen Seaworld Cultural Festival, China - light installation
2017 You lookin' at me? - I light Marina Bay, Singapore light festival - light installation (800.000 visitors)
2017 You lookin' at me? - Vivid Sydney - light installation in the Royal Botanic Gardens of Sydney (1.2 million visitors)
2018 Tropism Lab - Flower Art Museum - permanent wing for the Photosynthesis exhibition
2018 Ultra Vanity - Grachten Galerie Utrecht, Masterly The Hague, Flower Art Museum - photography exhibitions
2019 Ultra Vanity - Schimmelpennik Gallery, ART The Hague, Sandvoort Gallery, Flower Art Museum - photography exhibitions
2019 Sonotrope - Cinedans in Eye Film Museum, VR music-sculpting-dance performance, work in progress
2019 Biomassive Clear-Cut - documentary film (Dutch version went viral)
2019 Sonotrope - Overkill Festival, VR motion to music-sculpting performance with modular synthesizers, work in progress
2020 De miljoenenfraude van De Key - documentary film
2020 This is it, be here now - Battersea, London, Light Festival Knokke-Heist, Belgium - light installation
2021 Rebirth of Venus - short animated arthouse film, international filmfestival awards
Awards and nominations
2021 - the film Rebirth of Venus, fiftteen international film festival awards
2009 - the film 'Red-end and the Seemingly Symbiotic Society': Utrecht, HAFF 09 opening film, Moviesquad Award, Espinho, Cinanima 09, Award for Best Short Film.
2010 - the film 'Red-end and the Seemingly Symbiotic Society': Tallinn, Animated Dreams Festival, Brain-tap Award for Best Film;
Angers, Premiers Plans - Audience Award Best European Short Film; Nijmegen, Go-short festival, nomination Best Dutch film; Utrecht, Dutch Film Festival, nomination ‘Golden Calf’; St. Petersburg; International Festival of Animation Art, special mention for unconventional look; Annecy International Animation Film Festival, nomination; Cartoon d'Or, nomination.
2015 - in competition for the Dutch Film Award 'Golden Calf' of the stop motion animation film 'Red-end and the Factory Plant'.
2015 - the exhibition 'Photosynthesis' in the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh shortlisted for the Fringe Sustainable Practice Award.
2016 - 'Red-end and the Factory Plant': Award at the NCAIAF animation film festival in Sapporo, Japan; an Honourable Mention for the Devour! Golden Tine Award for Best Animation in Canada; nominated Clermont Ferrand International Short Film Festival.
2016 'You lookin' at me?' Awarded with the first prize by the children jury of the Amsterdam Light Festival.
2017 - Finalist for International Garden Photographer of the Year (IGPOTY) in the category Still life with the Ultra Vanity series.
2021 - Sneaky Serpents, winner for the MANA 2020 CITIC Press Lightening Selection in the Outdoor Works of Light category (China).
Recent publication:
2015 Photosynthesis, shedding new lights on plants, printed catalogue and app version, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
Mission
Sustainability and awareness are areas of interest and are involved in most of the Tropistic works although the artists do not emphasize this. It is a message well wrapped to be revealed and experienced as a personal discovery and thus hopefully persist better in the mind of the spectator.
A good example of that is our travelling exhibition Photosynthesis, consisting of 122 photographic works, 2 installations and 10 films targeted at shedding new light on plants.
More information can be found at www.tropism.eu
studio: Loods 6, KNSM laan 155, 1019 LC Amsterdam
Botanic Garden Exhibitions
I created and curated: Photosynthesis - Shedding new light on plants
An art exhibition for botanic gardens. The first venue was the Hortus Botanicus Amsterdam with a summer exhibition in the Palm Greenhouse of three and a half months in 2013.
The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburg was the most recent venue to have had this traveling exhibition. This over three months exhibition was co-curated by Tropism co-founder Alfred Marseille.
The world of plants as we have never seen it before. That is the essence
of this exhibition. Artists belonging to art movement Tropism have been
photographing the world of plants, using unusual, often scientific,
visualisation techniques. The use of infrared, x-ray, pinhole and electron
microscopy give the images a surrealistic and magical touch. The results
are unique artistic visualisations that offer a surprising and spectacularly
different view of plants.
Tropism
The dictionary definition of tropism is: ‘the ability of an organism to direct itself towards a stimulus’. The most common example of tropism is a plant growing in the direction of light. As an art movement Tropism wants to heighten people’s perceptions by making use of certain stimuli. The artists want to capture the world around them in a way that both engages and surprises the spectator.
Tropism wants to move, mobilise and lead the spectator towards participation in, and interaction with the perception that is being presented. Particularly those elements that appear at the edge of perception are the main ingredients of Tropism. The Tropists feel a great affinity with the plant world and all of their works are related to plants, botanical gardens or flora, in every way imaginable.
Presentation concept
The exhibition includes about fifteen series or perceptions and ten movies, each realized in a special visualization technique. The majority is made especially for this occasion. Each series has a Latin name that typefaces the perception. The series 'Trans Planta' shows the plant world in x-ray and 'Camera Obscura' uses 'pinhole' technique, etc.
Mission
Sustainability and awareness are areas of interest and are involved in most of the Tropistic works although we do not emphasise this. It is a message well wrapped to be revealed and experienced as a personal discovery and thus hopefully persist better in the mind of the spectator.
One can order the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburg catalogue by e-mailing: perceptions(at)morphosis.nl
The 'Photosynthesis Art Exhibition' catalogue app.
For those who went and those who couldn't come.
Only € 2,99. For OSX click here, for Android click here
The catalogue app contains a much larger collection as the exhibition itself or the printed catalogue. A stunning 150+ works of art and all the 10 movies including the award winning Red-end animation! are incorporated.
Inquirers about the traveling exhibition: perceptions(at)morphosis.nl
More on Photosynthesis and Tropism, go to www.tropisme.nl or Facebook.
Below a small selection of the 122 works of the Photosynthesis exhibition by the Tropists: myself (starting at row 1), Margot van de Stolpe (row 4 #5), Bethany de Forest (row 6), Arie van 't riet (row 7), Alfred Marseille (row 8 & 11), Els van de Monde (row 9 #4), Frans Holthuysen (row 12) en Adriaan van Aelst (row 15).
I created and curated: Photosynthesis - Shedding new light on plants
An art exhibition for botanic gardens. The first venue was the Hortus Botanicus Amsterdam with a summer exhibition in the Palm Greenhouse of three and a half months in 2013.
The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburg was the most recent venue to have had this traveling exhibition. This over three months exhibition was co-curated by Tropism co-founder Alfred Marseille.
The world of plants as we have never seen it before. That is the essence
of this exhibition. Artists belonging to art movement Tropism have been
photographing the world of plants, using unusual, often scientific,
visualisation techniques. The use of infrared, x-ray, pinhole and electron
microscopy give the images a surrealistic and magical touch. The results
are unique artistic visualisations that offer a surprising and spectacularly
different view of plants.
Tropism
The dictionary definition of tropism is: ‘the ability of an organism to direct itself towards a stimulus’. The most common example of tropism is a plant growing in the direction of light. As an art movement Tropism wants to heighten people’s perceptions by making use of certain stimuli. The artists want to capture the world around them in a way that both engages and surprises the spectator.
Tropism wants to move, mobilise and lead the spectator towards participation in, and interaction with the perception that is being presented. Particularly those elements that appear at the edge of perception are the main ingredients of Tropism. The Tropists feel a great affinity with the plant world and all of their works are related to plants, botanical gardens or flora, in every way imaginable.
Presentation concept
The exhibition includes about fifteen series or perceptions and ten movies, each realized in a special visualization technique. The majority is made especially for this occasion. Each series has a Latin name that typefaces the perception. The series 'Trans Planta' shows the plant world in x-ray and 'Camera Obscura' uses 'pinhole' technique, etc.
Mission
Sustainability and awareness are areas of interest and are involved in most of the Tropistic works although we do not emphasise this. It is a message well wrapped to be revealed and experienced as a personal discovery and thus hopefully persist better in the mind of the spectator.
One can order the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburg catalogue by e-mailing: perceptions(at)morphosis.nl
The 'Photosynthesis Art Exhibition' catalogue app.
For those who went and those who couldn't come.
Only € 2,99. For OSX click here, for Android click here
The catalogue app contains a much larger collection as the exhibition itself or the printed catalogue. A stunning 150+ works of art and all the 10 movies including the award winning Red-end animation! are incorporated.
Inquirers about the traveling exhibition: perceptions(at)morphosis.nl
More on Photosynthesis and Tropism, go to www.tropisme.nl or Facebook.
Below a small selection of the 122 works of the Photosynthesis exhibition by the Tropists: myself (starting at row 1), Margot van de Stolpe (row 4 #5), Bethany de Forest (row 6), Arie van 't riet (row 7), Alfred Marseille (row 8 & 11), Els van de Monde (row 9 #4), Frans Holthuysen (row 12) en Adriaan van Aelst (row 15).
Early 20th century film on tropism by Dr. A.E. Navaz, Harvard University.
It is part of the film collection of the traveling Photosynthesis exhibition of the Tropism Art and Science Collective.
It is part of the film collection of the traveling Photosynthesis exhibition of the Tropism Art and Science Collective.
Flora Magica,
A visitor of a botanic garden falls asleep on a bench. After closing time she wakes up. The woman gradually changes in colour and texture until she, camouflaged as a forest nymph, is completely assimilated by the greenery, and is only visible when she moves. It is also part of the film collection.
A visitor of a botanic garden falls asleep on a bench. After closing time she wakes up. The woman gradually changes in colour and texture until she, camouflaged as a forest nymph, is completely assimilated by the greenery, and is only visible when she moves. It is also part of the film collection.
Flora Sonora, or the singing plant, or rather the whining, squealing shrub is an art-awareness installation.
Small current variations, caused by interaction as touching the plant, are being sensed and amplified by an E.E.G. module which controls a modular synthesizer. So the sound itself is designed, but the variations of the sound are caused by the interactions with the plant. The plant reacts to touch and you can hear its response.
Almost 30 years ago (1987 Bussum, 'de Vonk') this installation was first shown in the very first Tropism exhibition by means of the same Synton 3000 modular synthesizer that is a very rare vintage collectors item by now (it is the actual prototype demo model housing of Felix Visser with modules of my choice).
It is also part of the film collection.
Small current variations, caused by interaction as touching the plant, are being sensed and amplified by an E.E.G. module which controls a modular synthesizer. So the sound itself is designed, but the variations of the sound are caused by the interactions with the plant. The plant reacts to touch and you can hear its response.
Almost 30 years ago (1987 Bussum, 'de Vonk') this installation was first shown in the very first Tropism exhibition by means of the same Synton 3000 modular synthesizer that is a very rare vintage collectors item by now (it is the actual prototype demo model housing of Felix Visser with modules of my choice).
It is also part of the film collection.
Insects Spectra - Simulated Butterfly and Bee vision
The way insects see the colorful world of flowers differs from our perception.
The human vision is based on the colors red, green, and blue.
Insects however, can also see in the ultraviolet (UV) part of the spectrum.
Plants make use of this phenomena by advertising secret messages to those who can see in UV.
These can be messages of how to spot the nectar, where the pollen is, or landing strips on how to approach the flower.
And so, during millions of years, a mutual beneficial relationship evolved: honey for being pollinated.
As UV rays travel hardly through glass, and as lenses are made of glass, taking pictures in the UV spectrum is quite remarkable.
Dr. Klaus Schmitt from Weinheim, Germany, made these stunning UV pictures, simulating the perception of colors by insects with a very rare 105mm Nikkor UV lens. If I understand correctly, only 11 where built for scientific purposes for NASA with a very special glass alloy of quartz/fluorite. One such lens costs a fortune equal to a high class Italian sport car.
I made this film in collaboration with Dr. Klaus Schmitt for the 'Photosynthesis' botanic art exhibition of the Tropism Art and Science Collective.
The way insects see the colorful world of flowers differs from our perception.
The human vision is based on the colors red, green, and blue.
Insects however, can also see in the ultraviolet (UV) part of the spectrum.
Plants make use of this phenomena by advertising secret messages to those who can see in UV.
These can be messages of how to spot the nectar, where the pollen is, or landing strips on how to approach the flower.
And so, during millions of years, a mutual beneficial relationship evolved: honey for being pollinated.
As UV rays travel hardly through glass, and as lenses are made of glass, taking pictures in the UV spectrum is quite remarkable.
Dr. Klaus Schmitt from Weinheim, Germany, made these stunning UV pictures, simulating the perception of colors by insects with a very rare 105mm Nikkor UV lens. If I understand correctly, only 11 where built for scientific purposes for NASA with a very special glass alloy of quartz/fluorite. One such lens costs a fortune equal to a high class Italian sport car.
I made this film in collaboration with Dr. Klaus Schmitt for the 'Photosynthesis' botanic art exhibition of the Tropism Art and Science Collective.
The opening of the first Photosynthesis exhibition at the Hortus Botanicus Amsterdam.
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