Expo at Huis van Eemnes

With Polderportret [Polder Portrait], I explore how a landscape can reveal itself. Not by simply taking a photo of it, but by letting the landscape itself shape the image. To do this, I use a camera obscura — the primal form of photography.

What began as a small experiment with a box, a lens, and a dark room grew into a larger investigation into light, time, and perception. Eventually, I converted an old milking shed in the Eempolder into a life-sized camera obscura. Through a small opening in the wall, the landscape projected itself inside. Clouds, changing light, and the seasons appeared as a constantly moving image on the interior of the shed.

To capture this process, I worked with a digital camera, a laptop, and a solar-powered installation. For a year, a shot was taken every hour. This resulted in images that do not show a single moment, but rather make the accumulation of time visible.

Therefore, the focus of this series is not on classical composition, but on the process itself. The landscape writes its own image, as it were. I merely create the conditions in which this can happen. The exhibition showcases both the genesis of the project and the final images: from the first small camera obscuras to the large installation in the middle of the polder landscape. For me, Polderportret is about looking, slowing down, and the relationship between technology, nature, and time.

The exhibition is on view at Huis van Eemnes from May 9 to July 2, 2026. During the exhibition, I will be present for meet-and-greets with visitors on Saturday, June 6 and Saturday, June 27, starting at 2:00 PM.