P Y R A M I D S I N T H E P O L D E R
introduction to the work
Every year the North Holland Archive, together with the North Holland province, gives a documentary photo assignment to capture it’s changing landscape. In 2020 Peeters was commissioned to make a series about ‘stolpboerderijen’, a special type of farmhouses that are only found in the North Holland province of the Netherlands.
Stolpboerderijen can be recoginsed by their large pyramidical roofs. Peeters took a typological approach and photographed all buildings statically. When the images are placed side by side, the differences between each farm becomes clearly visible. The borders of each image can also be connected visually, emphasizing the flat horizon that characterizes the polders of North Holland.
The preservation of stolpboerderijen is not self-evident: many have been demolished and several are for sale or empty, causing decay. Over the years, the buildings became too small for agricultural activities. Nowadays numerous residents are given them new functions. The interior photos provide an insight into authentic stables, as well as renovated living rooms, hotel rooms, meeting rooms, wedding venues, theathers, shops, etc.
In addition, all photographs are made using a slow shutter speed. As a result, everything that stood still remained in focus. And everything that moved became blurred. This technique symbolizes the hopefull continuation of stolpboerderijen: stading as beacons in our ever-changing environment.
images
