Stemvee

During the Must See exhibition at the Zuiderzee Museum, fifteen Dutch icons are represented, including Milk & Cow.

In the cow passage of the old farmhouse from Baard, nine cows once stood, milked several times a day. The production and consumption of milk, butter, and cheese have a long tradition in the Netherlands. The dairy industry continues to make a significant contribution to the Dutch economy.

During the exhibition, the stable is empty. Instead of animals, nine milk cans stand, with milk continuously overflowing their edges. The sound of the flowing white liquid is almost soothing, yet unavoidable.

Still, the voice of the animal can be heard in the cow passage. From the adjacent Hooitas—the former hay barn—the lowing of cows echoes through old-fashioned speakers. The sound carries into the stable like an echo of what once was.

Stemvee makes tangible the tension between the animal and what it produces for humans. Rather than showing the cow itself, the work displays what it delivers—endless, almost mechanical. In this way, the cow is separated from its function: no longer a milking machine, but an animal with a voice. As the climate impact of meat and dairy consumption becomes increasingly clear, the question grows: can we see the cow again as an animal, rather than just a production tool?