Artwork of the month - video (59 sec). With sound!

Weder

Year	2025
Materials	clay, flowers, leaves, water, recycled paper, charcoal, white port
For Sale	Yes, contact us here
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The amazing people of Weder, together with artist Louis Vanhaverbeke, invited a small group of artists to celebrate Midsummer at their beautiful flower farm in Mariakerke (BE). Robbert& Frank, Frank& Robbert, joined forces with Rite of Cuddle (Mira Verstraeten / Tchi Ann), Kapinga Joséphine Muela Kabeya, Anna Püschel, and Jolien van Goethem to create a day filled with participatory rituals and actions.

The ritual Frank&Robbert performed together with Merel (founder of Weder), Rite of Cuddle, and Louis Van Haverbeke and all participants was as follows: We started by gathering in a circle and listening to an a cappella song by Rite of Cuddle. We wrote our intentions on pieces of recycled paper with charcoal. We dug a hole in the middle of the flower field and put our intentions in it… We made clay by mixing dried clay beads, used for soil enhancement, and water in a bassin. The kids and grown-ups trampled the beats with their bare feet until it was a smooth mixture to build small bowls with. All the participants made bowls in different shapes and sizes. We harvested leaves and flowers to make a spirit drink and to cover the inside of our clay pots. We went to the local creek, and each and every one of us took a little bit of water and carried it in our self-made clay pots. We poured the water into the wishing well (the hole we dug in the flower field). The intentions soaked and eventually disintegrated. We mixed everything up and closed the pit. On top of it, we made a fire. Our hands were washed ritually by Kapinga. We then drank the landscape in the form of our spirit drink. We laughed. We cried a bit. We ate ice creams and watermelons. We connected with ourselves and the others.

On the day of the summer solstice, the sun travels the longest path through the sky in the Northern Hemisphere. It’s one of the key dates in the Neolithic calendar and has been celebrated globally for thousands of years.

This day is all about reflection and gratitude. As a community, we are grateful for surviving the darkness of the winter. We celebrate the renewal sparked by Mother Nature. The sapstream of the plants peaks due to maximum exposure to sunlight. It’s a time of fertility, a time of renewal, and the reemergence of life.

Farmers used to organize a moment of collective reflection during the summer solstice. They analyzed the fields they sowed and predicted the outcome of the harvest. The summer solstice marks the middle of the year. It’s a time to look back and to decide what we want to take with us to the future.

Thanks to all the artists for sharing their beautiful art. And thanks to all the people for joining and participating. We’re happy that we continued the tradition of celebrating natural cycles and life.

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