October 6, 2013 — October 27, 2013

Related projects

As part of the Life in the Woods project, Marres Projects and TAAK invited three artists to design a walk centred on the landscape in all its manifestations. Frank Koolen, Delphine Bedel and Ruchama Noorda each created their own interpretation of this commission. The results can be explored during weekends in October.

How at home you feel in a landscape is frequently associated with the place of your birth. A landscape can invoke associations, or can be so very different and exotic that it rouses the travel bug. This can be attributed to a fascination for a landscape that can be seen as an ecosystem and which reveals how it gradually came into being. Nevertheless, this recognition is primarily evoked by landscapes conjured up for us by images and writing. At any rate, that is the proposition advanced by Simon Schama in his widely acclaimed Landscape and Memory. Schama distinguishes between three types of mythical landscapes: solitary mountain peaks with wide vistas, streams of life-giving water, and dark mysterious forests. People constantly seek out these landscapes, so that they can project these myths onto them.

The three artists involved in the project Life in the Woods (the subtitle of Thoreau’s Walden) went in search of the mythical attributes of South Limburg’s surroundings. They designed walks that offer surprising perspectives of the places they selected by means of discursive narratives or artistic interventions in the area.

More information is included in a specially designed walking map showing the routes. This walking map is free for participants and can also be purchased at Marres.