Tree and Soil
Robert Knoth and Hartmann Books
Hartmann Books
English
Hardcover
112 Pages
195 x 285 mm
2020
ISBN 9783960700470
With Tree and Soil we underline the intrinsic beauty and value of nature. Connecting past and present, we examine the relationship people have with their natural surroundings. Following the transformation of the deserted landscapes around Fukushima, we often felt like archaeologists of the future, trying to understand what happened in a distant past when a mysterious force resulted in the evacuation of towns, villages, and forests, leaving only a residue of human presence.
In this publication we combine our landscape photography with material from naturalist and explorer von Philipp Franz Siebold’s collection held in the Netherlands by Naturalis Biodiversity Center. Stationed on the Dutch trading post at Dejima in the early 19th century, he had the opportunity to travel throughout the country and to take home not only a vast quantities of artefacts, plant and animal specimen but also a treasure trove of woodblock prints made by the Japanese artist Kawahara Keiga. Siebold’s collections illustrate how Japanese culture is deeply rooted in and inspired by nature.
In addition we used images of scanned leaves, fruits, and branches from plants collected by Siebold which are still growing and flourishing in the Leiden Hortus Botanicus.
(source: https://www.knothdejong.com/fukushima-nuclear.html)
About the Artists
Robert Knoth and Antoinette de Jong are an artist duo.
‘Digital technologies have caused a seismic change to our position as documentary makers and have given us endless possibilities in narrative formats. We started experimenting with more layered forms of storytelling fusing the hyperrealism of documentary with the more abstract and conceptual qualities within the visual arts. This approach gives us the space to work in a more abstract way, connecting different narrative forms and disciplines. It is precisely at this position that we feel comfortable and are able to tap into deeper layers, more reflective, looking at larger movements and developments in today’s world.’
knothdejong.com
(source: https://www.knothdejong.com/robert-knoth-antoinette-dejong.html)
About the Publisher
Angelika and Markus Hartmann founded Hartmann Books in 2016, they are interested in photography and, as enthusiastic publishers, especially in the demanding photo book.
hartmann-books.com
