Print on tarpaulin, print on transparent textile
Breda, the Netherlands, 2020
The work Dutch Wilderness is an observation of a specific place, while bringing larger topics into discussion; climate changes, displacements, shrinking of natural habitats of many species. The human behaviour is in the photographs presented through a suburban area, with our relation to the non-human environment with species we tolerate, use and/or cherish. The riverbeds are dug and burnt into houses, selected vegetation is fitted into a business model, the wild predator becomes a celebrity. The wild seems to be muzzled successfully.
The photographs are here to symbolise the micro-macro relation to dutch nature and dutch agriculture - a small piece of land maximising its yield, a role model for the future of monoculture globally, a solution to future famines. In the times of limited travel we might slowly forget about the diversity, the different needs and ways of existence beyond our daily lives.
The exhibition platform Witte Rook is like a wild oasis in contrast to the fast developing neighborhood. Magnificent trees overgrowing the house may be seen as a threat for a tamed city. As part of the exhibition a sound track composed of field recording from Witte Rook’s inner yard can be hear online. Feel free to listen it if you can, or just focus your attention the the sounds of growth, the expanding city, birds, winds, noises, and its different volumes.