Ooijpolder / Over-Betuwe, 2001- 2002
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In 2001-2002 Hans Bol was commissioned by the Department of Documentary Photography of the Province of Gelderland to make a series of photographs called 'Water and the (changing) landscape of the Ooijpolder and the Over-Betuwe' (in the Netherlands).
For one year he photographed the landscape in this area. In almost all his photographs one sees the element of water and polderlandscape. The idea of "change" has been interpreted as "change by influences of the seasons" rather than "change by influences through human interference".
The idea behind these photographs is to draw attention to the beauty of the relatively untouched landscape, to the landscape that is left in peace and respected. Dutch landscape is predominantly a constructed
landscape - one senses the underlying conviction and arrogance that it is possible to plan and design nature.
Before starting to photograph Bol talked to a number of people, among them a town planner of the Province of Gelderland, who told him that south of Arnhem a forest has been planned - an area momentarily occupied mainly by cows, no trees anywhere. The idea is that the large number of people that will occupy this region in the near future needs the possibility of a forest to walk in on Sunday mornings. What else could one do, right?
Also recently another typiceeing meadoal Dutch attitude could be read in the papers:
"if we stop sws as part of nature there is no reason not to start construction works in what is called 'the green heart of the Netherlands".
One can guess what Holland will look like in the years ahead of us.
The series of photographs resulting from this commission have been exhibited in museum "Het Valkhof" in Nijmegen (NL) in the summer of 2003.