Rick van Meel – TJ-II

Visual artist Rick van Meel (1985, Breda) regards scientific research as one of humankind's most worthwhile pursuits, a way of getting a grip on the universe we inhabit. His interest in science provides the starting point for his artistic practice. He studies the laws of physics and closely follows all kinds of scientific experiment.

In the courtyard – the heart of the museum – Van Meel has placed a new 'core'. He has created a sculpture based on the TJ-II stellarator, a nuclear fusion reactor in the Laboratorio Nacional de Fusión in Spain. This device is used to research a new method of clean energy generation.

By reconstructing the TJ-II stellarator, Van Meel invites the visitor to physically engage with this complex device. At the same time, the object in the courtyard no longer fulfils any function. Its abstract forms – interlocking and tumbling – could be seen as a visual monument for this experiment, a tribute to science.

Project Inner Space is a series of presentations in the museum courtyard. Each year, we ask an artist to create a work specifically for this space.