Reflections on Disturbed Cycles

Reflections on Disturbed Cycles explores the growing impact of light pollution on biological rhythms and ecosystems. As one of the countries with the highest levels of light pollution in the world, the Netherlands has become a landscape of glowing greenhouses, illuminated highways, and urban areas that never experience true darkness. This constant artificial light disrupts not only human biological cycles but also those of animals that rely on natural day-night patterns for orientation, foraging, and predation. Birds get disoriented, insects are drawn into street lamps, and habitats are altered by the glare of headlights.

Berkveldt brings this issue to life in a visually compelling and immersive installation. Reflections on Disturbed Cycles features 12 mirrored plexiglass cubes, each housing a robotic animal endlessly reflected in the mirrored surfaces. Inside every cube is a lamp, programmed to simulate a natural day-night cycle, disrupted by erratic light patterns inspired by greenhouses, car headlights, and street lamps. The robotic creatures respond to these altered rhythms, and as the light intensity increases, their movements grow increasingly frantic, mirroring the disorientation caused by light pollution.

This multisensory experience engages the viewer directly with the effects of artificial light on the natural world. Through the distorted reflections and frantic motions of the robotic animals, Reflections on Disturbed Cycles illustrates how human activities can disrupt entire ecosystems and lead to the disintegration of vital natural rhythms. The installation serves as both a visual spectacle and a wake-up call—inviting us to rethink how our modern infrastructure impacts the environment and how we can reconnect with the natural world.

Team: Noëlle Ingeveldt, Juriaan van Berkel, Sam Bos