De Edele Wilde
The Noble Savage
Analogue Photographs
Selection of a larger series
2015 – 2017 (ongoing)

De Edele Wilde is a myth about a man who idealises himself as a human in the condition of nature. He is a primitive human being living in connection with the landscape. He is not (yet) influenced by the negativity of civilization and culture. The myth first came to attention during the end of the 18th century, beginning of the 19th century. Better known as the Romantic period. An artistic and intellectual movement in which nature’s dominance is acknowledged and humans surrender themselves completely to the landscape.

In our current society we are encouraged to become our own, independent individual, in a society that wants you to depend on culture. The feeling of losing ourselves in our current world is a common fear. To fight against this feeling, most people go into a natural landscape and try to connect with the original, natural life, and thereby their own nature.

In nature we can come to ourselves and see the world from another perspective. The world is reasonable and structured. We see what really matters and what doesn’t. We follow our own, natural route instead of the one provided by culture. This series portrays a search for the myth ‘De Edele Wilde’ in our current society.