Sangmin Oh
Borrowed Skin (2026), explores how climate change leaves traces in the soil of the Amsterdamse Bos. Sangmin Oh approaches the ground not as something to study, but as an active collaborator that gives its own instructions: through color, moisture levels, and the buildup of organic layers.
During fieldwork, Sangmin collected sensory data about the soil and translated it into knitting patterns. When the ground is moist, loose openings appear in the fabric; when the ground is dry, the stitches pull tightly together. Sangmin also translates the underground network of roots, which forms the soil itself into a kind of organic fabric, into the entanglements of his yarn. The texture of the sculptures uniquely uncovers the condition of the soil.
The state of our soil materialises into textile sculptures that double as wearable costumes. In this way, the soil temporarily borrows the human body to make itself visible. Discover the Amsterdamse Bos as a living, ever-shifting terrain. Experience the impact of climate change firsthand, through textile, body, and movement.
The work is part of The Invisible Visible, a free art route in the Amsterdam Bos (Gemeente Amsterdam).
Photo credit Osangmin Studio
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