Site-specific living installation, selenite crystal sculpture, nocturnal plants, music box, Nocturnes, variable dimensions

Nocturnal forms a living composition attuned to the hours of darkness and the night. At its centre, a sculpture of selenite — a mineral that crystallises inside deep caves in complete absence of light and bears the name of the moon goddess Selene — is surrounded by plants that bloom or release their fragrance only at night. As dusk falls, these plants attract nocturnal insects, moths, and bats that feed and pollinate them.

After sunset, a music box activates, playing Nocturnes — compositions written in response to, or in the image of, the night. Together, these organic, inorganic, and cultural elements form a small ecosystem at the heart of the city — one that awakens as human activity subsides, proposing darkness not as absence but as a vital condition for life.

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Commissioned by Beelden in Leiden for the public space exhibition Lifeless stars drifting above, Hooglandse Kerkgracht, Leiden, curated by Stephanie Noach.

Gardening & implementation: Ruben Ris
With thanks to: Hortus Botanicus Leiden and Rogier van Vugt for their advice and contribution