Bob Wielaard (1964) is a Dutch photographer. He graduated from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in The Hague and attended workshops at the Photo Academy in Amsterdam. For a long time he worked in architectural design. In recent years the emphasis has been on photography.
Travels through the Scottish Highlands have deeply changed his view and approach to the land and his photography. The vast expanse of nature resulted in a more intuitive approach. The question of what a landscape actually is, is determined by aspects such as ‘materiality’, human presence / absence, memory, history and event.
His photography is mainly monochromatic.
An English text will be included in the photobook.
Tears of the Rhine – a photographic quest
The Dutch title is ‘Tranen van de Rijn’, or Tears of the Rhine. This title refers to the fact that through the ages this river has been transformed, dammed and altered mainly by human intervention. This photo series is about the old currents of the Dutch river Rhine and what happened after the permanent closure of the main stream.
The naming of rivers in the Netherlands is confusing and parts of the original river has been given many names. In the long struggle with the water, the river has now been tamed and controlled.
The project illuminates, photographically and very personally, the ‘Real Old Rhine’.
“I photographed the river as she appeared to me. ‘Tears of the Rhine’ is the result of my photographic search. I experiment with homemade filters to record my impression and experience of the water.
It fascinates me that this water was always there and formed the land. It is a connection to history and geology. There was a period when the Rhine and Thames gathered in Doggerland and flowed into the English Channel. Until 10,000 years ago there was no sea between the Netherlands and England.
This work stems from my fascination with the nature of our relationship to our environment and that what we call landscape. My photography is ‘out of doors’; the question of what a landscape actually is”.