Sandra Keja Planken

Nature’s Visual Sound Installation

For Amsterdam Art Week, Sandra Keja Planken developed a large-scale, interactive installation made entirely from leftover yarns. The work explores the relationship between humans, textiles, and nature, inviting touch and interaction. Scraps of cotton, wool, mohair, and recycled PET were transformed into ‘Nani Knots’, ‘Hanging Pillars’, ‘Dripping Corals’, and ‘Vesicularia Sculptures’, creating a colourful, tactile underwater world. The colours were inspired by AI renders, while the techniques (gimping, braiding, cord twisting, and tufting) give the objects an organic, vibrant texture. Even the smallest remnants are fully reused, ensuring no material is wasted.

The project highlights sustainability and circular production, as Keja Planken experiments with materials and layers to create new forms and textures. At the same time, she collaborates with researchers from Reef Renewal Bonaire and Resting Reef to use the sculptures as future coral nurseries, allowing the art to contribute directly to ecosystem restoration.

The work was exhibited at Amsterdam Art Week from 20 to 25 May 2025 and at BIG ART Amsterdam in the Newhouse Gallery from 26 to 28 September 2025.