At Milieupark+ De HER, you can not only drop off used items and materials. On Friday, November 7, the first exhibition opens: AYNI. It is about living in abundance and the art of passing on. Of items, but also of traditions, crafts, and stories.

At the entrance, Ximena and her colleague are busy placing photos from the Wasteland project by Kadir van Lohuizen. Beautiful, large photos of a less pleasant subject: waste. A bit further on, Kristiyan is putting the finishing touches on the large, round Chakana table. It symbolizes balance and connection. In the meantime, people are carrying items and artworks are being set up and hung.  

Special facades

In short, hard work is underway to set up the exhibition. But actually, the building itself is reason enough to visit. Originally, it was a laboratory that was dismantled in Delft and rebuilt at the Rotterdam Bovendijk. The research boxes on the side have been individually given special facades by artists, reusing the strangest materials: from bottles and pipes to washing machines. 

Furniture from discarded wood

These boxes now house entrepreneurs who immediately reuse or repair the items and materials dropped off at the recycling park. Some make new furniture from discarded wood, others give broken air fryers and drills a new life, and others work with children in the fields of art and technology. 

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Passing on crafts and stories

Everything at De HER breathes reuse. Or the art of passing on, says Marije Ruijter, community manager of De HER. Not only of items but also of intangible things. Like craftsmanship, traditions, and of course stories. That is what this exhibition is mainly about. And that is why I was so eager to collaborate with Brooderhood. Link opens an external page, an art community focused on bread baking and reducing food waste.  

Bread baking tradition

The Brooderhood staff literally pass on bread, Ruijter continues, because they bake bread from sourdough and the starter (the bit of dough you start the bread with, ed.) can last for years. But they also pass on the craft of bread baking, and the stories that go with it. Ximena Davalos, who started Brooderhood, has also made beautiful photos of bread baking. You can see them here too. 

Exhibition and opening

The exhibition features much more work from many more artists. There is also a side program including workshops on making bread with sourdough, making leather from fruit, talks, and storytelling dinners about bread.   
The festive opening is on Friday, November 7 from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM. It is free to enter and there will be various performances, snacks, and drinks. Everyone is welcome.

You can visit the exhibition until April 2026 on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM. De HER is located at Bovendijk 191.

More information

The recycling park is open every day of the week. Monday to Saturday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM and Sunday from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM. 

More information: www.deher.nl. Link opens an external page