Foorbij Nij Altoenae

In Foorbij Nij Altoenae I will take you to a country beyond the end of civilization.

To a rugged area in the extreme northwest of Friesland.

The Bildt.

Empty and abandoned. Unruly. And with endless distances.

A country that does not wish to please. Where silence reigns.

Inspired by the work of the Frisian poet and musician Jan Kleefstra, Foorbij Nij Altoenae captures the roughness of the landscape and combines this with portraits and still lives into a series of photos that illustrate the fascination for the lives of people who stray from the norm, far from the everyday, and their connection with this country.

People who go their own way. Who are not guided by the issues of the day. And are not bothered about what is “new” or what needs to change. They are connected with each other by their own, ancient language. A vulnerable language, however, that is slowly disappearing.

But, like most stories, Foorbij Nij Altoenae is an interpretation of reality. The work balances between fact and fiction, between reality and myth.