Diepenbrock

My parental home was located in Diepenbrockstraat. Fate decided otherwise and I never came to live in the house. By coincidence, the street in question played a role in my existence several times.

I went looking for what that actually is, Diepenbrockstraat. In many different places in the Netherlands I have photographed the Diepenbrockstraten, squares, courtyards and avenues together with the vicinity of the “Componistenwijk”. This book shows a selection from these recordings.

I have started to observe accurately how people relate to their living environment. The place of residence is in many cases chosen carefully. For example, an environment can be considered suitable for the children to grow up or to enjoy a quiet old age.

The furnishing and design of the cadastral space, the garden and parking space will receive a lot of attention. The placement of shrubs and trees is determined strategically. There is a need to distinguish oneself from neighbors or to blend in with the environment.

There is also a strong need to shield oneself from the same environment. As if they don’t want to be part of it. Safety and security are values that play an important role. I have experienced several times that as a photographer I was approached with suspicion. “Who are you” and “what are you doing” are frequently asked questions. “Now it is already so unsafe here and you will also come and snoop around”. I was asked to stop what I was doing and sometimes the police were even called. I often felt unwanted. Is this how I relate to Diepenbrockstraat?

The lyrics consist of parts of poems from Dutch Romanticism. They deal with housing, the city, the house and the landscape. The verses contain desires and dreams about an ideal world, about coming home and feeling home and ask questions about who we are and where we belong.