Willem Douven Photography
Flora
Flowers and plants always attracted me. Playing in a forest, climbing in trees was my sumum as a kid. This never changed and the more chaotic our world becomes the more I feel nature gives me peace. During previous projects my interest in plants and flowers became bigger as the need in photographing them. Is it the beauty in itself, is it the importantness of them as species, is it the calmness I feel during my yoga-ish poses I’m in searching for the best composition without harming nature itself, I don’t know? They are there and like Gautama Buddha said „If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change.“
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Silver Silence
Beyond the issues of the day, I set off. I observe and push the shutter. Intuitive and instinctive. I look for silence in the Limburg forests and the Haspengouw fields close to home. The blissful peace that reigns after the farmer has disappeared from the horizon with his tractor. The fields with crops or harvested nature that can lie dead fascinate me.
During my trips I like to look for pure elements in nature such as trees, branches, paths, wilderness, plants and flowers. A balanced composition in the chaos pursued by nature and the sometimes inexplicable aesthetics or atmosphere of the moment. As if there is something there that is not even visible. Difficult to describe in words.
While making this work I often thought about the corona pandemic. How powerful is nature? How insignificant / weak a person is in this whole? I don't just follow the easiest path, but I want to feel the branches, the harsh Belgian winter weather, smell the flowers and forests. Even when night falls and the world is even more silent, it only gets more magical. Without a
torch and only armed with a built-in flash, I like to continue exploring. Nature now seems to gain even more strength and mystery.
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Corona Freefall
Corona freefall is about the uncertain times we all live in now.
Willem started this project during the first Corona lockdown in Belgium.
What is the future about to give. Like in the movie “La Haine” from Mathieu Kassovitz, Hubert (Coundé) tells that if you fall from a building you can say to yourself :” jusqu’ici tout va bien, jusqu’ici tout va bien, jusqu’ici tout va bien.
Mais l'important n’est pas la chute, c’est l’atterrissage.”
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...till now everything goes “relatively” well. But we aren’t there yet. When will everything be back normal? Will everything be ok in the end? When is the end of this pandemie? … and how will this end look like? Hoping for a safe flight and a soft landing!
Extraterrestre
Extra terrestre, from another planet. Extra terrestre, extra's given from our terra. Work made at the sand and pebblestone reclamation area's in Limburg Belgium.
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Arboretum Bokrijk
Work made at The Arboretum in Bokrijk. This is a botanical garden from about 5.5 square kilometres.
In the 60’s, this Arboretum was built on an area of 18 hectares. From a purely scientific place it evolved into a recreational, scenic garden with a rich variety of trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants.
BeGloWi1718
Belgium Glooming Winter - In Belgium, winters can be glooming, mysteriously, dreamy...People are hungering for light, warmth. Outside it can be cold, foggy, rainy and dark. This year in 2018 we had the month January with the least hours of sunshine ever! On 20-3 there still felt snow (21-03 spring started) , very unusual for that time in Belgium. This "Beglowi" was one to remember.
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