21 january 2008, © Port of Rotterdam Authority

From January 18 till March 2, 2008, images of Maasvlakte 2 can be seen in the Dutch Photo Museum in Rotterdam. Title of the exhibition is ‘A last look at a place where sea meets land, a place that will soon turn into Maasvlakte 2’. 

In the North Sea, west of the port of Rotterdam, new land will arise from the sea starting from the autumn of 2008. On the one hand, this is a logical step in the process of port expansion: a large infrastructure project. On the other hand, it is a typically Dutch phenomenon: reclaiming land from the sea. From this perspective, the construction of Maasvlakte 2 is a natural sequence in the long struggle with the water, with reclamations like the ones by Leeghwater, the IJsselmeerpolders and the Delta works. Maasvlakte 2 is about dredging and lots and lots of sand, steel and concrete, but it is also a project about people, nature, and the environment. It is a project with a historical, cultural dimension.   

Such a project deserves to be watched closely by visual artists. They will observe, analyse and interpret the developments on this new piece of the Netherlands and share their vision on the land reclamation with all of us.    

The first to take on this task was Dorothée Meyer. In the summer of 2007, she took photographs on the border of the existing Maasvlakte. ‘Taking the photographer’s angle, it was obvious for me that I should focus on the existing landscape. The initial preparations for the activities for Maasvlakte 2, the first changes occurring there, seemed interesting to me as they show the intermediate situation. I wanted to record this in a way that leaves something to the imagination and interpretation of the viewer. Vistas expressing a sense of space and quietude, darkness and natural forces will visualize the tension between the existing constructed landscape and the imminent changes.’ For many months, Dorothée camped out in the area, always waiting for just the right light.    

Dorothée Meyer (Cologne, 1973) was trained at the Royal Academy in The Hague and at Post-St. Joost in Breda. She earned herself quite a reputation through her work, photographing mostly seemingly undistinguished landscapes in a way that is both poetic and bemusing. Examples include a series of ‘Dutch mountains’, ‘Recreational landscapes’, ‘Bridges’, ‘City landscapes’, and ‘Psychiatric institutions’. Her work is best appreciated in large form.    

A succession of artists will follow in Dorothée Meyer’s footsteps following the construction of Maasvlakte 2. Their angles will be widely diverse and have (early in 2008) not yet been determined. They may show what the land reclamation means for people who live or work in the region. They can record for posterity how people live and enjoy their free time in the area. They will show how the water changes into land and how this impacts the natural environment. They can show the landscape changes, and tell long forgotten regional stories. This way, they will create beautiful, exciting and inspiring picture stories showing Maasvlakte 2 through the eyes of artists. All of these stories together will show the result of Image Project Maasvlakte 2: the cultural dimension of the land reclamation.    

Image Project Maasvlakte 2 is an initiative of the Port of Rotterdam Authority (Project organization Maasvlakte 2) and the Nederlands Fotomuseum. The project will run from 2007 until the end of 2013, the year in which the first ship will moor in the new port area.   

Exhibition ‘A last look at a place where sea meets land, a place that will soon turn into Maasvlakte 2’   

January 18 - March 2, 2008, Nederlands Fotomuseum   

www.nederlandsfotomuseum.nl