Afbeelding met buitenshuis, gras, boom, plant

Door AI gegenereerde inhoud is mogelijk onjuist.

From March 30 through April 3, I stayed at Het Lage Noorden for a mini-art residency.

Over the course of five years, the former farm has been transformed by its new owners,

Sandra Jansen and Stephan Valk, into

a unique art and research space in northern Friesland.

Located along the inner dike,

with the vast salt marshes of the Wadden Sea region stretching out behind it.

Remarkably, I found myself with plenty of time during this short stay,

thanks to a flexible schedule that I adjusted daily.

Day by day

March 30

Meetings with: Stephan Valk, Sandra Jansen _H_L_N_,

Fellow residents*Maartje Meerman (NL), *Maarten de Naeyer (B),

*Connie Snoek (NL), and *Katharina Langer (D),

Together with the art residents, I stayed for a while

in the guesthouse, which had a private room, a shared living-kitchen, and

an immense workspace in the adjacent tall, long barn.

With groceries for the whole week and taking turns cooking,

there was plenty of time from early morning until late at night

to explore the surroundings, the situation, and test out my work.

March 31

On the second day, I explored the grounds and took a walk of about three hours.

Across the salt marsh dike toward the mudflats,

via the only permitted path during the breeding season,

I heard the biting wind and the thousands of foraging

and nesting migratory birds.

The sounds of chickens and sheep,

the hint of mice—as evidenced by the many holes in the grass—

and exploring the fully restored farm complex

all combined to create a magical, alluring atmosphere.

This was further enhanced by the constantly changing

cloudy skies throughout the day and evening,

with subtle light effects and panoramic views

Observing, watching,

something to see, smell, and feel everywhere,

the salt marsh clay and silt beneath my feet,

half-dried with regularly cracked structures and patterns.

Dikes covered with grass, behind them, the lower-lying salt marshes,

still almost bare at this time of year,

where now, after winter, all manner of things is beginning to sprout,

and in between, in the mudflats, bird tracks and carcass remains,

already fossilized, lying dramatically on the surface.

Afbeelding met gras, buitenshuis, wolk, hemel

Door AI gegenereerde inhoud is mogelijk onjuist.

Experimenting

In the afternoon, I laid out the clay, bone, and eggshell finds

on a worktable in the large project barn and made a note.

A first encounter is best preserved in memory.

On a second visit to the same place, memory interferes with the first recollection.

And as a result, that first impression changes or fades.

Would notes help or get in the way?

Capturing it seems impossible, but you can get close with descriptions,

making drawings and performing rituals or actions.

I diluted the oily clay and slurry with water

and tested the pigment in a calligraphic manner.

Waiting, letting it dry, surrounded and held in place by rubber boots

While waiting, I looked at a piece I’d brought along in the large space

with good overhead light.

From where?

I began this drawing I brought with me

during a previous residency at Arteventura in 2025 in Spain.

*See the link (below) to ‘work period and the exhibition BROTA EL PUEBLO’

I brought this accordion-folded work (as a *aide-mémoire) with me from The Hague

to this North Frisian region, which, like the Arteventura area,

has protected nature status.

A different natural environment, different soil,

a different climate, a different way of life, a different culture.

My intention was to insert new drawings.

I also discovered that I wanted to move the long, flexible folded work differently.

With a different intention than I had felt earlier in Andalusia.

Now more in the form of the undulating flow of mudflats, water,

bird migration, and turbulent wind.

The caterpillar-like whole also allowed itself to be carried along easily in waves,

especially after I hung it from a string (suspended from the ridge).

How different was Andalusia?

Here I was more captivated by the combination of culture and nature, its earthiness,

the close connection of the residents of the village of Corteconcepcíon to their land,

the traditions expressed in clothing, flamenco rhythm, dance, music,

the still-cherished bullfights, and theatrical Catholic processions

that swept me deep into my body.

This led to a suspicion that there is even more “inner life” to discover

and that the power of memory still holds many surprises.

I used the ten-meter roll of paper I’d brought to Andalusia for a drawing

that began with an intention: one meter a day for notes and drawings.

It began with a resolution: one meter a day for notes and sketches.

And as time went on and I found that unrolling and rolling it up didn’t satisfy me,

I started folding the paper every 10 cm.

Thinking of accordion and fan shapes.

This was followed by my amazement at the flexibility,

performative and sculptural possibilities of the large leporello.

This led to further form experiments.

Meanwhile, regularly adding new notes,

I began to think about how to proceed. The work was in a sort of limbo.

*See the Arteventura page on the site for this period of work.

By taking this drawing, this *Aide-Mémoires, with me on my travels,

and continuing to work on it in between, I believe I can create an exchange

between the outer world and the inner world.

Evening darkness:

At the end of the second day, a dinner was provided (Sandra and Stephan)

for everyone + 1 (Wies Noest).

Introductory stories followed.

In the last light on the horizon, I walked up the dike for a moment

under the full moon, stars, and lighthouse light.

Afbeelding met horizon, buitenshuis, natuur, zonsondergang

Door AI gegenereerde inhoud is mogelijk onjuist.

The days that followed:

Reflecting on the impressions of the first day, associations regarding the body arose.

And again the question: ‘How does my body register, process,

and express itself under the influence of a new reality?

And what do the various bodies (a country can also be regarded as a body,

or a creative organization) bring about, and what flows from that?

Do I want to try to record that, or is there another way to do so?

Bearing in mind the body you’ve brought with you?

How do new experiences connect with past ones?

If I regard the artworks I’ve brought as my own bodies,

how does my body form a connection with them?

What flows in, what flows out?

The Wadden Sea region makes me experience and think differently.

April 1

Observer’s dilemma. Attempt to be present yet absent

This became the day of the animals.

I sat for a while with the sheep, the cat, and the chickens.

I approached them all cautiously and observantly.

With the sheep, I tried to make myself seem absent.

I submitted one of the videos I made that day

to the online * Festival of the Smallest 2026

April 2

Artists *Leontine Lieffering and *Bart Benschop

came to visit on this third day.

Together, we explored the land, the biotopes, structures,

and facilities of Het Lage Noorden on a walk,

and later we drove to the Wadden Sea region

with a view of Ameland (the Holwerd pier),

with spectacular light on the water and a cloudy sky.

April 3

Residents are asked to leave behind an archive box

containing “whatever, no pressure” findings from their stay.

It took me a while to figure out what I wanted to leave behind.

By then, I had almost thrown the form away, in the spirit of “NO PRESSURE,”

but I thought back to my intention for this short residency.

After all, this is a first exploration.

I had to think of other explorations and the observations linked to them.

The Ant Question

During the first of my two residencies at *Arteventura in 2023,

I began observing the (one-centimetre-long) ants living there.

This nearly daily observation had consequences.

For example, I wondered how ants work together and how they recognize one another.