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Torment of Hearts
UPCOMING 
Costume design for a dance performance.

Premiere 
23.01.2025 at Magdalenazaal Brugge

Femke Gyselinck / GRIP & B’Rock Orchestra

︎︎︎info and tour dates

Pictures by Robbrecht Desmet


Zaaien en Oogsten
film
UPCOMING 
2024/5
A short film about my ongoing project ‘Zaaien en Oogsten’, in collaboration with film maker Loula Burnus.


Film stills by Loula Burnus



If you would like to show this film, please contact: nel.maertens@hotmail.be
Karakuri
Costume design for a performance.

Premiere 
13.10.2024 at Concertgebouw Brugge

︎︎︎info and tour dates

performance | Aya Suzuki
choreography | Femke Gyselinck
set & sound installation | Toon Quanten
costumes | Nel Maertens
musical advice | Tom Pauwels
production | Zonzo Compagnie
co-production | Concertgebouw Brugge, Needcompany, STUK & Perpodium
in cooperation with Ictus Ensemble
with the support of the Belgian Federal Government's tax shelter through Cronos Invest

Pictures by Karolina Maruszak
DROOMTUIN
21.09.2024—22.09.2024

MoMu opens its roof to visitors for the first time during DAKkan.festival: come and admire an installation inspired by children’s drawings.
Together with artists Nel Maertens and Harald Ligtvoet, MoMu dreams of lush city gardens and green urban oases for everyone. The installation from recycled materials symbolises nature in autumn. (...) MoMu invites you to discover how you can help nature by making the most of an urban garden, terrace or balcony.
For DROOMTUIN, over 150 children drew the garden of their dreams. Next to playful elements such as colourful flowers, animals and playthings, the drawings show that a dream garden represents so much more for a child. They reveal a deep longing for security and a world without war; the garden as a place where everyone is welcome.

Artist Nel Maertens drew inspiration from all their drawings for her in-situ installation. She incorporated the flowers that are best sown in September to bloom in spring, and consulted Natuurpunt on urban flora and insects.
During workshops, Harald Ligtvoet taught children how to turn waste materials into lush creations. The resulting flowers are part of the final artwork.’

Stickers and posters were sold at the event to benefit
HOPE - Artistic Transformation for Children in Conflict

Artists |  Nel Maertens and Harald Ligtvoet
Curator |  Elisa De Wyngaert
Production |  Klaartje Patteet and Marie Vandecasteele
With thanks to DAKkan, Natuurpunt and volunteers

︎︎︎Press

Pictures by Jasper Léonard


Zaaien en Oogsten
Château de Dampierre
07.2024
‘Zaaien en Oogsten’ in Dampierre

In July 2024, I visited Dampierre (FR) for a residency in collaboration with biologist and landscape designer Daan Cuyvers. Driven by a shared enthusiasm for botanical treasures, we went out into the fields, roadsides and hidden corners of the Champagne region in France. A landscape dominated at first glance by monoculture.

We used the empty ground floor of the Château de Dampierre, which is currently in its most bare form awaiting the first renovations, to create an alternative encyclopedia of our botanical discoveries in and around the domain. Together we hand sprinkled an indoor garden in the castle, using a mixture of pigments and wheat flour. The installation is a celebration of an unexpected biodiversity, conveying an optimistic way of looking at the changing landscapes around us.