Mirte van Laarhoven is a Dutch landscape architect and artist known for creating works that foster harmony between humans and nature. Her projects serve both ecological and educational purposes, encouraging deeper engagement with the environment.
One of her notable works, Cake for Biodiversity, transforms a found tree trunk into a thriving ecosystem. The trunk, discovered on the grounds of CAN REON, forms the base—the ‘cake’—while a vibrant ceramic ‘topping’ represents human presence. This functional sculpture is designed to support a hundred different species. Ninety-nine species—including wasps, bees, beetles, birds, caterpillars, and fungi—find nourishment and shelter within or on the wood. The hundredth species, humankind, is symbolically placed atop the trunk, observing rather than disturbing the delicate balance of life.
Van Laarhoven explains: “This creates an integrated society where humans can watch, listen, and learn from nature without disrupting its habitat.”
