Beyond the wild- A voyage of discovery to the countryside

A voyage of discovery to the countryside

In recent years, I have been drawn to the countryside time and again. It's where I grew up, where I received my first imprint. What does the reality of country life look like today - beyond glossy magazines with pretty gardens and hearty recipes?

Sometimes I ride my bike to the countryside, sometimes I just walk from somewhere. Sometimes my path leads into the vastness of the countryside. Sometimes I move within the boundaries of a village. Without a fixed destination, I always explore new paths there, then paths to the next village and the one after that. I walk slowly, adapting to the rhythm of each place. I am attentive and curious. Even in the village I change from a narrow focus to an open, wide view. In this way, I take pictures and document what I experience.

Again and again my gaze finds something special that makes me puzzle or smile. Memories emerge. I discover the village of yesterday and the village of today. I follow the man-made traces, the straight roads, the winding old paths, the pointed house roof and the design of the gardens. The trail of the people is sometimes individual-self-willed, sometimes peculiar-whimsical.

Over the years I make my rounds, repeat the old ones. And thus also record the change: the seasons come and go, as everything else comes and goes in the cycle of nature.