Shell shapes have a long tradition in art. They are signs of pilgrimage, an image of femininity, and symbolize the cycles of birth, life and death. While I was building the Meerohr, I was pregnant with my son. Thus the symbolism of shells – femininity and birth – coincided with the particular circumstances out of which the Meerohr came to be.
For me, the shell – situated here in the forest, far away from the sea, on dry land – is an image of longing. It is a longing for the water where it originated, and which gathers now in its opening.
The basin fills slowly over the course of half a day, mirroring the natural rhythm of ebb and flow, an inner pulsation. The water in the fountain’s basin could represent longing and, at the same time, fulfillment.
For me, the shell – situated here in the forest, far away from the sea, on dry land – is an image of longing. It is a longing for the water where it originated, and which gathers now in its opening.
The basin fills slowly over the course of half a day, mirroring the natural rhythm of ebb and flow, an inner pulsation. The water in the fountain’s basin could represent longing and, at the same time, fulfillment.
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/19bbaf58524005a2f3d0234dc90af84a958f8af0265dff3698457158d8e3f14f/marie-janssen-meerohr-concept-1.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/ebb908b0a9bee5f525c18c7f6c5d4f80d976903c2ff2d087dcd3000f4405839d/marie-janssen-meerohr-concept-2.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/2771d00cc69088d1f541eb83e4065db6a93cf0ad22afcddcb069ec4f588dcd78/marie-janssen-meerohr-concept-3.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/dfda966383d56a9d5d57dce5121fa0a4b407b697157c8adebd49384c716406fc/marie-janssen-meerohr-concept-4.jpg)