This work shows videos of Dutch landscapes, digitally edited and manipulated by Heleen Blanken (1980), in an attempt to create fictional environments that feel familiar and alienating at the same time.
Blanken explores how our experience of nature is changing as we increasingly interact with reality through screens. How natural do these digitally created landscapes feel? Can technology approximate the beauty and impact of nature?
For Blanken, the interaction between humans and nature is key. With her work, she hopes to evoke a sensory experience that makes the viewer reflect on how visually malleable our existence is.
'Nature can exist without us. She has her own rules of order and disorder. It's frightening and beautiful at the same time. I find that fascinating.'
The inspiration for this work was the celebrated Dutch light that many artists have painted over the years. Using software, Blanken explored new ways to dramatize this light and magnify the movements in the landscape. For this, she combined real landscape videos with an artificial second layer.
Heleen Blanken studied at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam. She currently lives in Amsterdam, and works from her studio in Zaandam. As a multidisciplinary artist, she creates audiovisual installations, sculptures, and kinetic works. Her work has been shown at the Nxt Museum, the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, and the Stedelijk Museum Schiedam.