Jan van IJken is a filmmaker and photographer in Leiden, the Netherlands, working on the interface of art and science. In his latest works, he reveals secrets in nature like the murmurations of starlings, the genesis of life and the unseen world of microscopic plankton. He is interested in microscopy, nature, biology, evolution, and embryology. His award-winning work has been published in numerous international media, e.g. National Geographic and BBC Planet Earth III.

In earlier years he published three photobooks on social-documentary subjects like devotion in Eastern Europe and the relationship of man and animal. He developed a keen eye for light and composition and specializes on autonomous long-term projects.

Projects

Becoming Bird (2026, 4K, color, 09:20)

Becoming Bird is a short film about the miraculous embryonic development of a chicken inside its egg, from fertilized egg cell to hatching. In the film, we observe the developing embryo in remarkable detail: the appearance of veins carrying streaming blood and a beating heart, the development of the brain, eyes and other organs, the embryo’s first movements, the emergence of feathers, and finally the hatching of the chick. It is an emotional journey, filmed by Jan van IJken with extraordinary precision and detail.

Planktonium – short film (2021, 4K Video, color, 15:23) and photobook

Planktonium is a short film and photobook about the unseen world of living microscopic plankton. The film includes a sound composition by Jana Winderen. It is a voyage into a secret universe, inhabited by alien-like creatures

Planktonium had its world premiere at Ji.hlava Documentary Film Festival, CZ and was screened at many international film festivals and art galleries.

The Dutch Museum De Lakenhal in Leiden acquired one copy of the short film Planktonium for its collection and the film has been part of Leiden European City of Science 2022 program.

The film received the J. B. CZECZ AWARD FOR BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY at Włodzimierz Puchalski International Nature Film Festival, Łódź, PL 2022

A short sequence of plankton footage was featured in Planet Earth III, Ocean Episode, narrated by Sir David Attenborough.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/5mkz46vC74JXyMq4F1rMsP7/plankton-an-unseen-universe

In 2024, I was invited to take part in an epic journey to film plankton at the North Pole onboard of the luxury icebreaker Le Commandant Charcot for National Geographic’s Pole to Pole series with Will Smith and Allison Fong.

https://www.natgeotv.com/nl/programmas/natgeo/pole-to-pole-with-will-smith

Planktonium Live Performances

In these live performances, I am screening plankton videos, improvising with musicians and sound artists.

2025 Inscience Film Festival, Nijmegen, NL (2 performances, with John van Oostrum)
2025 Mu Hybrid Art House, Eindhoven, NL (with John van Oostrum)
2024 IDFA on Stage, Eye Filmmuseum Cinema 1 (with Jana Winderen)
2024 Kunstroute, Auditorium Museum De Lakenhal (with John van Oostrum)
2024 Glastonbury Festival, Tree Stage, UK (with Steve Everitt / Entity)
2024 International Film Festival Rotterdam, Art Directions program, Worm, NL (with Vitja Pauwels)
2023 ‘O’ / Videodroom for Viernulvier & Film Fest Gent, De Vooruit, Gent, BE
(with musicians Naima Joris, Niels van Heertum and Vitja Pauwels)

Photobook Planktonium
English edition by Terra Publishers
German edition by Tecklenborg Verlag

Six photos were nominated for a Wildscreen Panda Award 2022, category Photo Story, and in the Nikon Small World competition two photos were awarded 9^th place / honourable mention, plus one honourable mention for a videoclip from Planktonium.

The photo series was published in National Geographic Magazine NL, New Scientist, Oceanographic Magazine, NRC Handelsblad, Algemeen Dagblad, Süddeutsche Zeitung among many others.

Radio and TV interviews by Vroege Vogels and M in the Netherlands

Becoming – short film (2018, HD Video, color, 06:15)

BECOMING is a short film about the miraculous genesis of animal life. In great microscopic detail, we see the ‘making of’ a salamander in its transparent egg from fertilization to hatching.

Becoming has been screened at more than 25 international film festivals and received the Award for best short documentary at the Innsbruck nature film festival 2018, the Visual Science Award at Imagine Science Abu Dhabi 2019 and a honorary mention at Academia Film, Olomouc, CZ. The film was awarded Vimeo Staff Pick of the Month and was nominated for Vimeo Best of 2019 (top 10 experimental films).

In 2019 the film went ‘viral’ on internet and has been watched by millions of people. It was published on the website of National Geographic, Aeon, Colossal, Live Science, IFLScience and numerous others. The Dutch TV show De Wereld Draait Door screened the film, including an interview.

The art of flying – short film (2015, HD Video, black&white, 06:52) and photo series

Short film about “murmurations”: the mysterious flights of the Common Starling

The film has been screened at more than 50 international film festivals, galleries, biennales, etc. and was awarded ‘Best art film’ at Pärnu Film Festival, Estonia, selected for National Geographic Short Film showcase and awarded a Vimeo Staff Pick.

Nevermore – short film (2013 HD Video, color, 03:37)

Film about the fast and almost instinctive creative process of action painting by dribbling, splashing, scratching and smearing paint on a huge canvas. The work is based on the poem ‘The Raven’ by Edgar Allan Poe: an almost abstract chaos of words and sounds.

Jan van IJken filmed Dutch artist Theo Zwinderman painting ‘The Raven’ and edited the film on the rhythm of a reading of the poem by George Snow.

Facing Animals – short film (2012, HD Video, color, 29:31)

Facing Animals (debut film of Jan van IJken) is a documentary film about the complex and often bizarre relationship between man and animal.

Why do we look away from millions of animals in industrial farms while pampering and humanizing others? In the film Facing Animals pigs, chickens, cows and dogs are the protagonists, humans are the antagonist.

Grand prix short films at Split Film festival, Croatia and screenings at international film festivals.

Dierbaar (Precious animals)  – photobook (2005) about the relationship between man and animal

Precious Animals (2005) is a photo-project about the relationship between animals and humans, focusing on animals as manufactured consumer products on the one hand, with efficiency playing the leading role, and these very consumers and their habit of pampering their own pets and other cuddly two and four-legged creatures, on the other hand.

Precious Animals was commissioned by the Rijksmuseum and NRC Handelsblad as part of their series ‘Document Nederland’. The photos were exhibited in photo museum Huis Marseille, Amsterdam from Nov 2005 – Feb 2006, along with a special supplement of NRC Handelsblad and the publication of the photobook Dierbaar.

The series was published in many international newspapers and magazines (e.g. De Morgen, Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung, El Mundo Magazine, Eight, Mother Jones Magazine and Days Japan) and received a Humanity Photo Award, an International Photography Award and was selected for American Photography. The series was screened at photo festival Visa pour l’image, Perpignan, France

Awards: Humanity Photo Award, China, 3rd prize Daily Life 2006, International Photography Awards, 3rd prize Photo Essays 2006, Black and White Spider Awards, Nomination Fine Arts 2007

Collections: Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, John Cleary Gallery Houston USA, Museum of Fine Arts Houston USA

Radio interviews (Dutch only): Vroege Vogels, 2 hour special / interview 2005 and Kunststof Radio, 1 hour interview 2005:

New Neighbours – photobook (2004) about the enlargement of the E.U.

Photo-project about daily life in five Eastern European and five Dutch municipalities. Van IJken has used the twinning of these municipalities as a starting point from which to compare everyday life in Eastern and Western Europe. People are the focus of this series of photos. The individuals who inhabit these images have been captured in all kinds of everyday situations.

The series was published in the photobook ‘New Neighbours’ (2004) and was exhibited in the Atrium, The Hague, The Netherlands

A touch of Divinity – photobook (2001) about religion in Eastern Europe

From 1997 to 2000 Jan van IJken worked on a photo project about religiosity in Eastern Europe. Travelling through Poland, the Ukraine, Slovakia and Rumania, he was present at pilgrimages, religious festivals, liturgies and processions.

The photos were published in the photobook ‘A touch of Divinity’ (2001) and were exhibited in a travelling exhibition in monumental churches in the Netherlands.

The publication of the book was followed by travelling exhibition in monumental churches in the Netherlands. The project received a Humanity Photo Award, China, 2nd prize Daily Life in 2002