I often wonder why places are so much lovelier when I’m alone.
Society tells you: "It's cozier together." Everything seems to be set up for it. Solititude seems almost a taboo subject. "Oh really, you're going alone?" Such behavior often has a negative association .The meaning of the word 'solitude', according to the Dutch dictionary van Dale is 'without company'. This is the content I am referring to. My project 'The Bluebells Beside Us Unnoticed' (2015-2019) is a layered series of photos in which I have recorded my path to (self) acceptance. I am a loner, an einzelgänger, always have been, not acted like one for a long time, because I wanted to fit in. This is my take on solitude. It reassures me.
It’s a meditation on the beauty of life reflected through careful attention on a simple object, interior, or street portraits. By focusing carefully, I get a grip on life. By photographing what fascinates me, I accept myself as I am. At that moment I feel no restrictions or fear. The search for and recognition of my identity is what I photograph. As Albert Einstein once said, “I live in that solitude which is painful in youth, but delicious in the years of maturity.” I’m discovering that aspect of my own life.
I project my self-chosen solitude on what I photograph, on scenes which tell a story of their own. When I address someone with the question of photographing them, I limit our contact to a minimum and isolate my subjects in their thoughts. I want to wonder; wonder what goes on behind the appearance. The non-committal nature of the first meeting is what I love the most. The urge to experience my own imagination exceeds the need for long-term human contact. Space for imagination is all I need.