WOUT BERGER, Ruigoord #1, 2003

Ruigoord #1, 2003
Color coupler print. 21 3/8 x 27 1/4 in. (54.3 x 69.2 cm). Signed, titled, dated and numbered 5/12 in ink on labels affixed to the reverse of the flush-mount.
Working in the tradition of landscape photography, Wout Berger's Ruigoord series depicts a plot of land near Amsterdam that was planted with seedlings to prevent erosion and thus prepare the ground for future urban development. By reducing the landscape to the immediate foreground and focusing on the tiniest weeds and flowers, Berger's photograph speaks of the environmental impact of urban sprawl and the new role of nature, not as a rival of the city, but as a vehicle for its development. This photograph is unique in this size. The other prints from this edition measure 40 x 50 in. (101.6 x 127 cm).