Kastanjedroom (Chestnut Dream)

A damaged 175-year-old chestnut tree was cleared. Because the root stump was not allowed to be removed from this archaeological soil (National Monument), I was asked to transform this stump into a work of art.


I modelled a cover to slow down the decay process until there’s nothing left but the cover. The text on the border is written by Merijn Hilte, city poet of Nijmegen in 2006:



“In brons verzegeld bron van leven stamt de kroon diep geworteld koestert bodem kiem van stad herademt hemel aarde nevelt navelstronk kastanjedroom”

“In bronze sealed source of life the crown stems deep rooted cherishes soil germ of city re-breathes heaven earth mist navel stump chestnut dream”



The text goes around in a loop and can be read starting at any given point. About this work of art, a documentary was made by Sido Lanters


After 7 years, the stump had become so rotten that the lid was removed. A small neighbourhood called Kastanjehof in Nijmegen wanted to adopt the object in a new form. In 2014 the lid was installed here on a granito disc and has since become a meeting place.