Artificial Arcadia

New connoisseurs take the opportunities offered by the typically Dutch phenomenon of landscape being continuously adapted to changing demands, always with temporary leftovers awaiting their turn for utilitarian recycling. New ways of thinking about landscape design originate from this specialist landscape use. Bas Princen's arguments take the form of superb photography. The pictures produce awareness about the complex qualities that construct contemporary landscape, such as accessibility, wind direction, water currents and communication networks. In addition the use of certain products, such as kites, mountain bikes and GPS monitors has a bearing on the way in which landscape is understood. Bas Princen enters these landscapes with the slowness, sharpness and precision of a large-format view camera. Although he has a keen eye for user interpretations and has produces over 40 awesome and puzzling pictures, Artificial Arcadia is mainly a book about landscape and its design. Texts by Lars Lerup, Bart Lootsma, Wim Cuyvers, Jeff Derksen and Dirk Sijmons reflect on the photographs and present different views on landscapes in transition