Hydrology (Variation #2) by Lennart Lahuis is part of his broader exploration of the way in which natural phenomena such as evaporation, erosion, and combustion relate to scientific disciplines and technological systems. His work for Two Hectare focuses on the natural element of water and its manifestations in the hydrological cycle. The installation presents a hypnotic display of the perpetual transformation of water through this cycle: from surface evaporation to condensation, precipitation, and collection as groundwater. Concise descriptions of the process appear fleetingly in the form of water vapor – textual snapshots that quickly evaporate. At the same time, the water in the installation itself remains part of this process, and is repeatedly reabsorbed into the same cycle. Lahuis thus explores not only the physical aspects of water, but also the connection between the experience of time and matter. On the one hand, there are the slow, geological processes that unfold over millions of years, and on the other, the fleeting moment of words that materialize and dematerialize into steam, with technology acting as a bridge between the tangible and the ephemeral. Hydrology (Variation #2) is an example of Lahuis’s subtle interweaving of scientific disciplines, technology, and natural processes. His work invites quiet reflection on the relationship between humans, time, and the landscape, opening a window into a world in which even water functions as a vessel of meaning.

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The Mokkebank will be divided into a western and an eastern section. In both sections, a natural polder water level will be established, which will be connected to each other via a sluice that can be closed. Each polder will have a separate inlet equipped with a check valve. The attraction flow will be generated by a water windmill (one per water level polder). On the eastern boundary of Mokkebank West, a basin fish passage will be constructed, connecting both water level polders. Within the polders, a pattern of shallow channels will be excavated. Due to the natural topography and the creation of these channels, a gradient will form – from dry areas on higher ground to wet conditions in the lower-lying parts, with permanent water in the channels. As the water levels naturally fluctuate, a gradient of vegetation types will develop: from open water to gentle banks with mudflats and aquatic plant communities, transitioning into water reed and reed thickets, and finally into species-rich grassland on the higher ground when mown.

— Germ van der Burg, It Fryske Gea

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