2025

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Installation, Next Nature Museum, Eindhoven

Dimensions: 300 × 300 cm and 200 × 200 cm

Materials: robotics, sand and 3D-printed elements

 

Singularity Garden is a robotic Zen garden that explores the tension between harmony, repetition and the underlying unrest of technological progress. The installation consists of two circular islands, each with its own character, yet inextricably linked as components of a single system. Robotic arms perform endless, repetitive actions that at first glance appear purposeful, yet defy any clear function. These mechanical gestures contrast with the serene aesthetic of the environment and evoke a sense of melancholic monotony.

 

The work suggests the presence of an advanced artificial entity that has transcended humanity, leaving the garden’s original function deliberately undefined. For whom and why this landscape was created remains open to interpretation. While the installation evokes a utopian, almost magical atmosphere, it simultaneously carries a dystopian undercurrent in which tranquillity and alienation coexist.

 

Through the interplay of natural and artificial elements, and of contemplation and discomfort, Singularity Garden invites visitors to reflect on their own search for meaning and purpose. The work questions the role of technology within spiritual and meditative practices, and examines the extent to which these systems can facilitate or undermine harmony.

 

Commissioned by Next Nature Museum

Curated by Mieke Gerritzen & Ruben Baart

Production: Klaas Tops

Code: Tom Bekkers