It rumbles in the north of Groningen. It is plagued by earthquakes and as a result is often in the news negatively. But what you don't see in the news is the vast, expansive landscape, the impressive skies and the warmth of the villages. Bo Scheeringa (b. 1961) created the book Ruim Leven (Spacious Living). A portrait of North Groningen and its inhabitants, containing photographs of landscapes, portraits, interviews and poems. It is all about the landscape and people of the Groninger Hoogeland. A compact exhibition of the photographs from her book is now on view in photo gallery Lichtzone.
‘Maybe in a few years it will look very different here’
Scheeringa's photo series hangs on the walls of the tiny church in Rottum. This is special, because the scenes that adorn the wall can be seen through the window in real life. ‘I try to capture my experience of this landscape in my photographs. This resulted in a portrait of the landscape. The immense space does something to you. I don't want to get too lofty, but it's almost spiritual. Standing alone on the Waddendijk with the wind in your hair, you are part of that overwhelming space. I think everyone needs moments like that.’ Scheeringa wants to pass on that love of the Groningen countryside to the younger generation, so she dedicated the book to her own children.
GREETINGS FROM ONDERDENDAM
Scheeringa herself is a born-and-bred Groninger. When she lived in Onderdendam for a time and had a curiosities shop, people often asked her for postcards of the characteristic village. ‘Because they thought it was so beautiful there,’ she says. ‘But there were none, so then I started taking pictures for cards myself with my compact camera. That sold really well: people really liked it!’ To learn how to photograph better, she decided to study at the Fotoacademie in Groningen where she focused more on documentary and portrait photography.
‘Everything comes together in this book: my love of landscape photography, portraying people, writing creatively, and then I also get to express my own feelings with poems.’
The original plan for Ruim Leven was a photo book of landscapes and portraits of people who live there, with quotes about how those people experience this area. But after two interviews I thought: these stories are way too good not to use. Everything comes together in this book: my love of landscape photography, portraying people, writing texts and then I can also express my own feelings with poems. This is really my thing. I did everything myself, even the design, together with my daughter. How wonderful is that!’
BARREN, BLACK LANDSCAPES
‘People often say: it's beautiful, the Hoogeland, but you shouldn't go there in the winter, because then everything is barren and black.’ But if you can appreciate it, then it actually has a very special beauty. Specifically the black land and bare silhouettes of those trees.’
And that beauty is on display. Scheeringa emphasises the flat and expansive areas in her photographs, the skies and raking light highlighting the vagaries of the land. ‘Maybe in a few years it will look very different here. Landscapes change. I want to cherish them.’
The exhibition and the book Ruim Leven. A portrait of North Groningen and its inhabitants will be on display at the photo gallery Lichtzone until 26 November and are part of the satellite programme of the Noorderlicht Fotomanifestatie 2017.
Text: Mo Visser
Photos: Bo Scheeringa