Since July 2020 I’ve been working alongside many wonderful folks from the Netherlands to further develop my Voices in the Wilderness series.
I was one of several photographers selected to participate in a wonderfully formative and intensive artist residency with Docking Station in Amsterdam. But unfortunately due to Covid-19, travelling to the Netherlands for a month this summer wasn’t feasible. Although I couldn’t attend the residency in person, new opportunities presented themselves in the form of a digital collaboration.
After my third visit to a magical off-grid island in the Salish Sea, I met Laurence and Kathy - two incredibly kind and welcoming hippies who started a life together on the island during the 1970’s back-to-the-land movement. Over the years, they always had a free bed and a warm meal waiting for me each time I returned to the island. After dinner we would chat for hours as the view of the wood stove window moved from flickering flames to a beautiful red ember glow. Early on, I learned of Laurence’s fascinating childhood and tumultuous relationship with the island. His story inspired the most recent, and undoubtedly most intimate, iteration of this six-year-long series.
Today is the premiere of No Man is an Island, an audio-visual story that follows Laurence during the hour it takes for the island ferry to travel to the mainland. There, he reflects on the fragility of his life and the lessons he’s learned from living on the island for over 55 years. The important choices Laurence made in his life show not only his courageous character, but also universal values of life, death, love and self-actualization.
First and foremost I want to thank Laurence and Kathy for allowing us into their lives.
@dockingstationtoday @missie_lopez @marga_rotteveel for their amazing support and guidance through the residency process. Emmie Kollau of @aldusproducties for her incredible writing and producing of the audio piece. Imre Ploeg @ploegimre for the hauntingly beautiful musical and sound compositions.
Now available in the new online magazine Far Away – Up Close.
www.farawayupclose.nl