The womb-like interior centres on mugwort, a medicinal plant used by herbalists for holistic healing and enhancing intuition. Cleansing hands in the fountain's flow of water and aromatic mugwort is grounding and calming. Meeting in the space also facilitates reflection and open discussion, building a supportive community over time. As participants learn that their experiences are shared by others, the internalised taboo inherent in many psychosomatic conditions begins to melt away.
During the spring 2025 exhibition, artist Eve Merriel Hurst created the sensory fountain, draped in dark fabric to create a womb-like experience. After the exhibition, Eve gifted the Psychosoma structure to Mediamatic.
The fountain, now transformed, returns to life at Mediamatic's Aquaponics Greenhouse. With fabric strands draped over the structure, and living plants climbing around it, Psychosoma brought every member of the Mediamatic community for a ritual of transformation of the fountain, adjusting it to its new home. The transformation preserves the intimate, womb-like atmosphere of the space while seamlessly merging it with the surrounding gardens and greenhouse.
Visit Psychosoma and tune into your senses, meditate, have a chat about psychosomatic healing, enjoy a cup of tea, or simply relax on the cushions around it.
Artist-designer
Eve Merriel Hurst is a British artist-designer specialising in multi-sensory experiences and immersive spatial storytelling. Graduating from Design Academy Eindhoven in 2024, she finds wonder in creating worlds that investigate the taboo and facilitate open dialogues around identity.
Eve’s interactive spatial installations seek to reframe private, even vulnerable human experiences as opportunities for shared understanding. Entering these sensory worlds, visitors are invited to imagine realities where ancestral, herbal and esoteric knowledge can aid in forging deeper connections with the self, with others and with the soil we grow from.
Eve Merriel Hurst - Profile Picture next to her installation Psychosoma Photo by Anwyn Howarth
Information
Psychosoma by Eve Merriel Hurst
Open Tuesday to Friday from 12:00 to 17:30.
Mediamatic Biotoop, Dijkspark 6, Amsterdam
The installation is located in the Hydroponics greenhouse on the ground floor of Mediamatic Biotoop.
