BROEIKASSEN (GREENHOUSES)
In February 2005, my family and I moved to The Netherlands. Excited by the opportunity to live overseas and re-invent myself in a new place, I made the move with a great deal of enthusiasm and optimism. Only months later did I realize the full impact of the move and this new opportunity on my work. Overwhelmed by a new culture, language and a daily schedule which was fragmented and non-conducive to working, I shut down and did very little creatively for several months. This lost time was spent drifting, searching and waiting for something to speak to me. Waves of frustration, detachment, boredom and apathy came and went. Finally, a few things began to get my attention and I started making images.
I have always been drawn to abandoned, derelict or unwanted places. I believe these places have stories to tell which lie just beneath the surface, just out of reach and hidden by panes of broken glass, layers of peeling paint and rust, scattered debris or years of neglect. These places speak to me, from crumbling cemeteries to abandoned buildings or simply empty, lost and forgotten spaces. I found these places as I was drifting, searching for something and in some ways they visually represent my emotional state at the time.
The inspiration for this body of work came from the discovery of a derelict greenhouse near our new home in Voorschoten. Like the farms and barns I worked in growing up in the Midwest (United States), this greenhouse had a sense of history, place and integrity in spite of its outward condition. I have since located and photographed other abandoned greenhouses in Katwijk and Valkenburg, but the greenhouse in Voorschoten remains a special place to me. Upon learning that the greenhouse would be destroyed to create more “green space”, I contacted the Stichting Duivenvoorde which owns the structure and requested materials from the greenhouse for use in this body of work. The wooden frames, hardware, twine, wire and glass panels were all taken from the greenhouse in Voorschoten. The images, textures, color palette and materials used are all derived from the site. Hopefully, this work will help to preserve a small part of the history of Voorschoten and The Netherlands.
I found beauty in this once productive, now discarded and forgotten greenhouse and in some ways, I found myself again.
