Listen to birds and cicadas, feel mist against your skin, breathe in mossy bark, damp ferns and decaying leaves, while watching dappled green light. Rainforest Machine Prototype 02 invites the viewer into a sensory simulation of a rainforest, while commenting on the divide between technology and nature. The sensory stimulations, which envelop the viewer, communicate the devastation of deforestation and ecological loss. Haphazardly constructed from household objects and recovered pieces of technology, the machine’s appearance contrasts starkly with the therapeutic sensations of being in a rainforest. Close your eyes to escape the harsh reality of technology and immerse yourself in the calm of the rainforest.

Adelle van Zyl holds a Master of Visual Art from the University of Pretoria and works full-time as an artist. She also has a background in children's book illustration. Her work has been featured in numerous local and international collections, spanning three solo exhibitions and over 30 group shows. She has been a finalist in Absa l'Atelier, Sasol New Signatures and Sanlam portrait award, and was selected for Art.co.za's 2023 Watchlist.

Working across oil paintings, ink drawings, collages and large-scale installations, Van Zyl explores human existence through intimate, everyday details and psychologically laden aspects of the human condition.