lost valley

In Maastricht,The Netherlands, close to the Belgium border, a few hundred years ago, workers digged for mart, used for the building of houses. At that time arised a lot of huge and long corridors, where it is pitch dark. Walking in there for too long time, you will never find your way back. Later, about 1830, they tried to get mart not in the hills, but overground. This was economical not very profitable. So they ended this work and on this spot, about 10 acres, there arrised a valley. Nothing happened anymore, it was quiet over there and no industrial sounds were heard, only the wind in the trees, the singing of the birds. So, in fact there arised a consructial landscape, the original functions disappeared and something new arised. At this time it is very humid over there, but not wet and it caused the growth of new plants and beautiful nature. I called this spot: “lost valley’. This is an important theme of my work. The disappearing of the original functions and the arising of a new existence and sometimes beauty, which also can be seen in a series of mine: “fading memories”, portraits of diseased on graves in Wallony, Belgium. Portraits intended to remember the beloved ones, but time let the image disappear and is so a metaphore for the process in the grave.