Graduation project - New Dutch Views

Today, six percent of the Dutch population is Muslim, and the Netherlands counts more than 400 mosques. Islam is no longer foreign; it is a part of the national landscape. In the ‘West’ there is more to say about our perception of Islam than about the Muslim religion itself. In response to numerous negative depictions of the Muslim religion, New Dutch Views positions itself in the perspective of a Muslim who is looking at his country from inside mosques. By focusing on a space of coexistence between ‘East’ and ‘West’ these photographs affirm the existence of a growing and new Western Islamic identity.

Thesis - 10.000 Trees in a Single Glance

'10.000 Trees in a Single Glance' evokes the capacity of a simple form to instantly communicate beyond verbal language. This study is the result of a research on how photography can better engage in light of our growing numbness towards imagery. The paper suggests that documentary photography practice should focus more on aesthetics, and on the sincere intentions of the photographic author (ethics).

Through the exploration of Islamic ethics and Zen gardening aesthetics this thesis provides a study of how art can be functional, ethically driven and communicative on sensory and more universal levels. Finally, the artist Hiroshi Sugimoto is analyzed in-depth and identified as the embodiment of a 'Sublime Documentary Photographer'.

25 Mei - 01 sep 2019
NEW DUTCH VIEWS
Fotomuseum Den Haag