In her long-term projects, Birthe creates site-specific works. In her exploration of a place’s essence and uniqueness, she collaborates with people from diverse walks of life. She seeks to forge cross-cutting connections, uncover unexpected relationships, open up new perspectives on the environment, and challenge assumptions taken for granted. The presence of other organisms and plants—and the value we attribute to them—play an important role in this process. Under the influence of the elements and in dialogue with all living things, she explores the meaning of art and its place in the world.
In addition to her artistic training at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy (Amsterdam, 1996) and the Sandberg Institute (Amsterdam, 1997), she also completed the Professional Gardener program (Houten, 2014). In 1997, she won the Prix de Rome for art in public spaces.
She has created permanent works in various locations throughout the Netherlands, in both urban and rural settings. For the European Capital of Culture, she created *De IJsfontein* in Dokkum (2019). Her work *L’Essence de Mastenbroek*, a fragrance, has been seen and experienced around the world, including at the Salone del Mobile in Milan (2006), in Los Angeles (WUHO Gallery), and as an installation in the Dutch pavilion at the 2019 World Expo in Dubai.
She is currently working on several projects, including in Amsterdam, Utrecht, and Den Bosch.