GEO — Design: Sand | Van Abbemuseum
— To See a World in a Grain of Sand
The exhibition at GEO—DESIGN offers new insights and adds new layers to the narrative of this ongoing project for those who wish to carefully contemplate these collections. To See a World in a Grain of Sand tells stories of time, place, and our profound connection to the world we live in. From a hot and dry desert to a cold and snowy mountain; a skyscraper in a bustling city to an archaeological ruin; an invisible political border to a vast and open landscape; an excavated gold mine to the bottom of an ancient seabed; a place of civil unrest to a serene holiday island. The analysis of sands collected by people from all across the earth reveals hidden narratives in the varied colours and textures of glass fused from 'wild' sands. When these geographical diversities become visible, it becomes clear that sand carries not only ecological significance, but powerful social and political histories.
