Please help us expanding our network! For our project The Europeans, Arnold Van Bruggen and I are seeking collaboration with photography schools in the European hinterland. This could be a school for applied photography, a regional art academy, or a vocational training institution. Funded by Erasmus+, we aim to locally create and present new work together with students. In addition to gaining work experience, we offer students a platform to learn from each other and to build an international network.

The Europeans will become the narrative photography document of Europe in the 2020s—Europe off the beaten track, outside the major centers, and beyond well-known stories. The more students, aspiring creators, and regional institutions that participate, the broader and more inclusive this historical document will become.

Since we are not focusing on well-known art academies in large (capital) cities, we have started a search for photography schools in the European regions. Do you happen to know of (or have contacts at) a photography school in a regional town in Romania, North Macedonia, Denmark, Albania, Latvia, Norway, or any other European country? Please send me a message. You can also help us by sharing this message or forwarding it to international contacts who are familiar with the education system in their native country.

Thanks for your help!

Over the course of six subsequent summery Tuesdays, The Europeans was invited to supply content for the middle pages of Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant (big thank you Volkskrant!). The decision was made to publish a series of group portraits made in six different countries. To do so, we quickly had to go to Thueringen, in order to include Germany in this series. Where we photographed groups at a medieval festival, a performance of a brass band and a shooting club. That last one made it into the newspaper. The different episodes can be viewed online.

French Réponses Magazine (#370) published a portfolio from The Europeans combined with an interview beautifully spread over ten pages last summer.

For an article in the context of the European parliamentary elections, The Europeans was invited by D Magazine - a weekly publication of the Italian newspaper la Repubblica - to provide 30 portraits of young people from different regions of Europe.

Please come and join my talk on The Europeans at Brussels Street Photography Festival. Entrance free and more information via link below.

The Netherlands has voted and will get a far-right and ultra-conservative government. Besides consequences for climate and migration, the majority in the Netherlands has thus voted for devastating cuts to art, culture and media. Critical makers, independent journalists and free-thinkers are an indispensable necessity for a healthy democracy. Now that our future government deliberately wants to marginalise these democratic values, in the coming years more than ever a responsibility lies with the well-thinking part of wealthy people to protect our democracy. The survival of The Europeans, the independent narrative photo project about the tumultuous 1920s, depends largely on private donors who value autonomy for critical writers and artists. If you are considering supporting our project, please sign up for our meeting on Friday 8 December at 4pm.

This is a story about the Black Country… Its history is grand and proud. It is where the foundations of the industrial present were laid. Socialism, social democracy and climate change were all born here. But today, the Black Country has been relegated to the margins of world history. Between the shops of migrants from all over the world, empty buildings and theatres stand like black holes in decaying gums. As locals moved away, migrants saw opportunities for new beginnings. The Black Country has become a haven for people fleeing big cities and war-torn countries.

Softcover 170 x 213 mm
Language: English / Punjabi
Print run: 1,000 copies
Retail price: € 14.50

This is the fourth and last consecutive exhibition by The Europeans in the former H&M fashion store in the Kroonpassage in Den Helder, now Kunsthal45. The texts in the exhibition have been translated into Dutch. The bilingual English-Basque publication is also being sold along within the exhibition.

‘Our Ancestral Home’ is the story of a stunningly beautiful region of Europe where the locals cherish their traditions, speak a mysterious language and pass down the picturesque houses and farms from generation to generation. That’s how it has always been. But tourists and wealthy urbanites have now discovered the region, and the original inhabitants are succumbing to the lure of the exorbitant amounts that outsiders are willing to pay for a rural retreat. “We have sold our country,” activists lament. But who can resist the laws of capitalism?

The exhibition is on display until Dec. 17.

This is the third consecutive exhibition by The Europeans in the former H&M fashion store in the Kroonpassage in Den Helder, now Kunsthal45. The texts in the exhibition have been translated into Dutch. The bilingual English-Basque publication is also being sold along within the exhibition.

‘Our Ancestral Home’ is the story of a stunningly beautiful region of Europe where the locals cherish their traditions, speak a mysterious language and pass down the picturesque houses and farms from generation to generation. That’s how it has always been. But tourists and wealthy urbanites have now discovered the region, and the original inhabitants are succumbing to the lure of the exorbitant amounts that outsiders are willing to pay for a rural retreat. “We have sold our country,” activists lament. But who can resist the laws of capitalism?

The exhibition is on display until Aug. 6. Then we will convert to our fourth chapter, The Black Country, which opens October 22, 2023.

Since 2020, I have been working with writer Arnold van Bruggen and designers Kummer & Herrman on The Europeans 2020 - 2030. Our latest story, entitled The Black Country, will be sent to the printer this week. Pre-order your copy now for only €14.50 or buy one of the hardcover editions including print and thus contribute to the continuation of our project.

This chapter is a story about the Black Country. Its history is grand and proud. This is where the foundations were laid for the industrial present. Socialism, social democracy and climate change were all born here. But today, the Black Country has been pushed to the margins of world history. Between the shops owned by migrants from around the world, empty buildings and theatres gape like black holes in rotting teeth. When everyone else moves away, migrants see opportunities for a new beginning. The Black Country has become a haven for those fleeing big cities and countries at war.

If you order the numbered hardcover edition (1-120) including fine art print of our latest @theeuropeans.fm publication The Black Country before Sunday AUGUST 27, your name will be mentioned in the back as a big thank you.
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Since the first publication within The Europeans 2020 - 2030, we offer the possibility to adopt a region for 120 euros. If you do so before the printing deadline (27 AUG 2023), we will include your name in the colophon of the Special Edition. Afterwards, this unique hardcover edition in a print-run of 120 copies plus print in the same size will remain available as long as stocks last.⁠
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The Europeans is a ten-year quest to find the contemporary European at a time when Europe is struggling. Growing nationalism and populism are reviving old ghosts. For the first time in many years, a territorial war between nations is costing lives and threatening European security. Authoritarian regimes are on the rise and the political dream of a united and peaceful Europe is proving increasingly fragile.

This is the second consecutive exhibition by The Europeans in the former H&M fashion store in the Kroonpassage in Den Helder. On this occasion we are showing work that has its origins in this city: De Marinebasis / The Naval Base.

In 2021 we stayed for three months in Het Pompgemaal, a beautiful artist-in-residence in the dunes on the outskirts of Den Helder hosted by the Mondriaan Foundation. To conclude our working period, we presented this same work there in October 2021. When Peter Kramer of Housing Corporation Den Helder saw our work, he thought it would be a good idea to present it again, but this time in the heart of Den Helder: De Kroonpassage. The exhibition is on display until Aug. 6. Then we will convert to our third chapter, Our Ancestral Home, which opens Aug. 20.

On Sunday, July 9, at 3 p.m., my colleague Arnold van Bruggen will talk about the motivation and methods of The Europeans.

Two years ago I worked with writer Arnold van Bruggen in Den Helder on The Naval Base, a chapter within our multi-year project The Europeans. One of our goals specifically linked to that place was to portray local club life. This is how we first came across the nearly 100-year-old Sea Swim Club Marsdiep. Beautiful characters, mainly consisting of people in their sixties and seventies, even rising up to 93 years old. Every day they dive into the sea. We visited them once during their daily morning dive. ⁠
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This weekend 10 pages in Volkskrant Magazine. Thanks to all the wonderful swimmers of Swim Club Marsdiep.⁠

Recently, I have been working with writer Arnold Van Bruggen to complete The Black Country, a new chapter within our multi-year project The Europeans. The original idea was that The Black Country - after The Former Capital - would be the second chapter within The Europeans and would be published in 2020. That turned out differently.

Due to corona, we had limited opportunities to travel for a while and decided to make the chapter The Naval Base in our own country first. Then, in 2022, we got a great opportunity to work in the French Basque Country, leading to Our Ancestral Home. After three completed chapters, it is now finally the turn to The Black Country. The work is done, the concept is set, photos have been selected and texts written. At the end of September, The Europeans’ new publication will finally be released.

Since The Europeans’ first chapter The Former Capital, interested people are welcomed to adopt a region for 120 euros. As a thank you, these contributors receive a numbered hardcover edition with print. More importantly, this group helps us to make it possible for the regular paperback edition to be offered locally at the lowest possible price. So far, we have managed to offer the publication at local presentations for €9.50. And it works! People who don’t buy expensive photo books do buy our publications. And that’s what we are aiming for.

We recently received the latest quote from the printer for production of the paperback and numbered hardcover editions of The Black Country. The cost price for the regular paperback edition has increased by 35% in three years, for the hardcover even slightly more. Our economic model around these publications has thus become unsustainable. We need to raise the price (against our ideology), downsize the publications (rather not) or come up with another solution. Who knows may speak up.

In case you have not yet adopted The Black Country, you might want to consider doing so. This will allow us to accommodate some of the extra costs involved in the upcoming publication. Also, it is the last chance to order a numbered hardcover edition with print from us at this price. Click on the link for more information on our adopt-a-region donation system.

Together with writer Arnold van Bruggen and designers Kummer & Herrman we converted parts of a former H&M store in Den Helder into an exhibition space as part of our project The Europeans.⁠ Prior to our first exhibition (we plan to do four in a row), we removed some wobbly walls blocking off windows and doors and converted the clothing displays into exhibition walls. In the storefront windows of the former H&M, we have a permanent advertisement of the different exhibitions, with some framed pictures changing every other time.⁠
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Our first exhibition The Former Capital is on view from April 21 until June 11. Subsequently, The Naval Base opens on 25 June, followed by Our Ancestral Home from 20 August and concluding with The Black Country from 22 October until the end of the year. Please come and visit the former H&M fashion store in Kroonpassage Den Helder.

At the invitation of Helder Vastgoed and in collaboration with our designers Kummer & Herrman, we are currently preparing to exhibit four consecutive chapters of The Europeans in a former H&M clothing shop in de Kroonpassage in Den Helder. The first exhibition will be The Former Capital and launch on 21 April 2023. As a teaser towards the start of this series of exhibitions, we have decorated 20 metres of shop windows.

This presentation in Den Helder fits seamlessly with The Europeans’ ambition to present work in both art institutions and alternative venues to engage with a broad audience. To further expand our project, we are looking for a producer/fundraiser who can join us in taking The Europeans to the next level. If you think you are that person, please send a message. Proficiency in the Dutch language is a must. In a month’s time, Arnold and I will leave for The Black Country to finish our next chapter. If you value our project, please consider making a donation by adopting this region.

The Europeans 2020 - 2030 is a project by writer and filmmaker Arnold van Bruggen and me to document Europe in an era of drastic change. Click below for more information.

Since the launch of the first chapter within The Europeans in 2020, we have been recreating our regional exhibitions online in 2D or 3D on the free access platform artsteps.com. Although initially born out of necessity - that initial exhibition remained closed due to corona - we valued the fact that in this way local exhibitions can be visited by everyone. Anywhere in the world and open 24 hours a day. The platform is quite limited in possibilities, and our designers Kummer & Herrman use all their creative tricks to make it look as genuine as possible. That was also the case with our latest exhibition at Station V, a gallery situated in a former petrol station on a busy roundabout in Bayonne. Due to all the commotion that surrounded the opening, we completely ignored to highlight the online version at the time. But here it is. We aim to run our own online The Europeans museum by 2030, with twenty different rooms in which former region presentations can be visited.

If you want to escape the madness of the Paris Photo VIP opening on Wednesday 9 November, you are welcome for an informal presentation of The Europeans at the legendary Paris bookstore delpire & co starting at 6pm. Among other things, I will be in conversation with François Hébel, director of the Henri Cartier-Bresson Foundation. The photographer Henri Cartier Bresson published his book Les Européens in 1955. He looked beyond nationalism or local customs in the individual countries. He sought evidence for a greater identity, a European parable shared by the people and the landscape. Together with writer Arnold van Bruggen, we share this ambition and believe it’s time to come up with a new version of The Europeans.

Wednesday 9 Nov, 6 pm.
Delpire & co
13 rue de l’Abbaye 75006 Paris
Free entry

On Thursday 10 November, I will be interviewed as part of the Paris Photo programme Artist Talks by The Eyes by author and independent curator Marc Feustel, amongst others about The Europeans and, in particular, our French-Basque chapter within The Europeans: Notre Maison Ancestrale.

Thursday 10 Nov, 4 pm.
Grand Palais Ephémère, Paris
The artist talks by The Eyes Space

Initiated by Chiara Capodici of the Italian Leporello Books, I will present The Europeans on Friday 30 September at 8 p.m. during Fruit Independent Art Book Fair in Bologna. More information via the link.

Last summer, writer Arnold van Bruggen and I presented our latest chapter within The Europeans in the place where the work was created: The French Basque Country. After selling out the accompanying English-French publication Our Ancestral Home, we have just started shipping the brand new English-Basque edition (with new cover!). The print run is limited to 500 copies.

Our Ancestral Home / Notre Maison Ancestrale is from July 13, until August 20, 2022 on display at Station V, a former petrol station located on a very noisy roundabout in Bayonne in the French Basque country. Especially the free newspaper Money Always Wins, which is presented on an outside wall yet also free to take home, catches the eye of random passers-by. We received a lot of feedback on our stories from locals regarding the most divergent topics, something that we deliberately look for in order to incorporate into the future of this project.

Join us for a small gathering around the launch of Our Ancestral Home / Notre Maison Ancestrale and the free newspaper Money Always Wins / L’Argent Gagne Toujours at the magnificent leboudoir2dot0, rue La Fontaine 2bis Arles in partnership with Leporello Books. Depending on audience and the needs, I might speak about inspirations behind The Europeans. There will be a tote bag lottery and free newspapers for everone.

Now that our stock of the French-English edition has run out, we make use of the opportunity to reprint Our Ancestral Home. And to fulfil an additional wish: to make a Basque-English edition. Besides the change of language and the cover photo, the book will be exactly the same as the French-English edition. You can already pre-order, we expect to ship by the end of August.

In the run-up to the exhibition at Station V in Bayonne, MediaBask introduced our project to a broad local audience. Starting next week, this newspaper will publish a full-page portrait of our new work prominently in the paper every month. Very happy with this collaboration!

In addition to the publication Our Ancestral Home, we have produced a 16-page newspaper that highlights the current difficulties on the housing market. The newspaper is not for sale. It will be distributed for free during the opening week of Rencontres d’Arles and also during the exhibition at Station V in Bayonne. More information about these events at the bottom of this newsletter.

Oh … and if you are going Arles and would like to help distribute the newspaper, please let me know. I could still use some more hands.

Looking for Our Ancestral Home / Notre Maison Ancestrale? Please buy your copy at one of the following bookstores:

Foam, Amsterdam, NL
Huis Marseille, Amsterdam, NL
FoMu, Antwerp, BE
Kominek, Berlin, DE
Fotomuseum, Den Haag, NL
Café Lehmitz, Koln, DE
Setanta Books, London, UK
Micamera, Milan, IT
Musée de la Photographie, Charleroi, BE
Photo Book Corner, Lisbon, PT
Photobookstore.co.uk, Online, UK
Photobookstore.nl, Online, NL
Photoeye, Online, US
La Nouvelle Chambre Claire, Paris, FR
Picto la Comète, Paris, FR
Leporello Books, Rome, IT
Nederlands Fotomuseum, Rotterdam, NL
De Utrechtse Boekenbar, Utrecht, NL
Anzenberger, Vienna, AT

Café Lehmitz and Leporello sell copies during the opening week of Rencontres d’Arles

Today the first books Our Ancestrale Home / Notre Maison Ancestrale were sent to people who bought a copy in pre-sale. The official launch of this new chapter within our multiyear project The Europeans will take place on Wednesday, July 13 at 6 pm at Station V in Bayonne. Want a sneak peak? Order now online or buy this brand new publication during Les Rencontres d’Arles at the following bookstores: Café Lehmitz at Fondation Manuel Rivera-Ortiz, Leporello Books at Le Boudoir 2.0 and KABK at the Capitole and collège Saint-Charles.

By purchasing a work in edition from The Europeans, you are supporting our project in a very essential way. This work from The Naval Base, our previous chapter within The Europeans, is offered at a discounted price until 1 August 2022. From each chapter within The Europeans, two defining works are chosen and offered at a 20% discount for a period of three months. The framed works measure 42 x 51 cm (16 1/2 x 20 inch) in an edition of 7 copies.

The Europeans 2020-2030, the project I am working on together with writer Arnold van Bruggen, is starting to get up to speed. Six months after launching The Naval Base, we hereby announce our next chapter Our Ancestral Home.

Our Ancestral Home is the story of a stunningly beautiful region of Europe where the locals cherish their traditions, speak a mysterious language and pass down the picturesque houses and farms from generation to generation. That’s how it has always been. But tourists and wealthy urbanites have now discovered the region, and the original inhabitants are succumbing to the lure of the exorbitant amounts that outsiders are willing to pay for a rural retreat. “We have sold our country,” activists lament. But who can resist the laws of capitalism?

Since the start of The Europeans 2020 - 2030, we offer the possibility of adopting a region for 120 euros. If you do so before the printing deadline, your name will be mentioned in the colophon of the Special Edition. The deadline for inclusion in Our Ancestral Home is 22 May 2022. After that date, the hardcover edition including same sized print will remain available as long as stocks last. There are 120 numbered copies available. By purchasing one of our Special Editions, you help us keeping the price of the regular edition at €9.50 and by doing so you support our ambition to make our work accessible to a wide audience.

In connection with the nomination of the series of board members of hobby and volunteer clubs for the national SO awards, the board members of Klaverjasvereniging De Jutter are now on advertising dispalys in Amsterdam. Also work by the other 19 nominees is spread throughout the city. Please vote for my work via link below (takes 3 seconds).

Interview around my series of portraits of volunteer clubs and association boards in times of lock down as result of nomination at the Dutch Zilveren Camera Awards.

More good news from Zilveren Camera. My series of portraits of volunteer clubs and association boards in times of lock down won the second prize in the category ‘Portraits Series’ at the Dutch Zilveren Camera Awards. This series of portraits is part of the recently presented chapter The Naval Base as part of The Europeans 2020 - 2030, a ten-year project I am working on together with writer Arnold van Bruggen. Click on the link below for more detailed project information.

Looking for CHRISTMAS CARDS and also tired of romantic white snowflakes, fairytale Christmas trees or Rudolph the red nosed reindeer? The Sochi Project produced a leporello with six large size Christmas cards depicting Christmas decorations all over the Caucasus. In an attempt to make people think a little more about those places where people celebrate Christmas in less fortunate conditions. By buying anything from The Sochi Project, you support our new adventure The Europeans.

“Some say The Naval Base is the end of the world. They are wrong. This is where Europe begins.”⁠
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This is the cover of our forthcoming publication The Naval Base. The Naval Base is a town built, bombed and rebuilt by the government. When the government invests in the navy, the city flourishes. When the government withdraws, the city fades away. There are many more like The Naval Base in Europe: towns, cities or regions that are excessively dependent on the attention of the national government. A city where the population is unilaterally composed according to the demand of the largest employer.

Order your copy today for only 9.50 euros and receive it in your mailbox before 1 November, 2021.

Together with writer Arnold van Bruggen, I will present our new chapter The Naval Base through an exhibition and launch of the accompanying publication in Het Pompgemaal in Den Helder at the end of October. The Naval Base is a new chapter within our ten-year ongoing project The Europeans, a document on Europe in a time of drastic change. Mark the date, the official opening is on Wednesday 27 October at 5 pm. You are invited! More information will follow in the upcoming weeks.

Until next Friday, 1 October, you can still adopt this region. By adopting regions like this for 120 euros, you will receive a numbered hardcover edition including the same size print without additional shipping costs and your name will be mentioned in the colophon. Your support makes it possible for us to continue working on The Europeans.

As part of our multiyear project The Europeans, writer Arnold van Bruggen and I have recently worked on an extensive series about local associations in Corona times. How do the numerous associations and clubhouses cope with the absence of community? The series is presented now during Europe Day 21!

How do the numerous associations and clubhouses cope with the absence of community? This new work is featured in newspaper De Volkskrant with a text by Olaf Tempelman.

With support of the Steunfonds Freelance Journalisten, Arnold and I have recently worked on an extensive series about local associations in Corona times. From the pigeon club to a Christian men’s choir and from the pinochle association to country and line dancers. How do the numerous associations and clubhouses cope with the absence of community? Over a period of eight weeks, a full-page article on Saturdays in the Noordhollands Dagblad.

With support of the Steunfonds Freelance Journalisten, Arnold and I have recently worked on an extensive series about local associations in Corona times. From the pigeon club to a Christian men’s choir and from the pinochle association to country and line dancers. How do the numerous associations and clubhouses cope with the absence of community? Over a period of eight weeks, a full-page article on Saturdays in the Noordhollands Dagblad.

Despite the lockdown, I started working with writer Arnold van Bruggen on chapter 3 in our long-term project The Europeans, titled The Naval Base. The Naval Base portrays a town whose fate is in the hands of the government. A town in the periphery of a country, where many people vote populist parties that promise change. A portrait from the perspective of all kind of inhabitants, through community life, the navy and people in danger of being excluded from society. 

In October, we will exhibit The Naval Base in Het Pompgemaal in Den Helder and present the publication of the same name. The search for supporters to adopt this region is in full swing, in order to contribute to the production of the publication. By adopting a region for €120 you will receive the hardcover edition including the same size print on your doormat. If you pre-order before production date, your name will also be mentioned in the publication.

With support of the Steunfonds Freelance Journalisten, Arnold and I have recently worked on an extensive series about local associations in Corona times. From the pigeon club to a Christian men’s choir and from the pinochle association to country and line dancers. How do the numerous associations and clubhouses cope with the absence of community? Over a period of eight weeks, a full-page article on Saturdays in the Noordhollands Dagblad.

With support of the Steunfonds Freelance Journalisten, Arnold and I have recently worked on an extensive series about local associations in Corona times. From the pigeon club to a Christian men’s choir and from the pinochle association to country and line dancers. How do the numerous associations and clubhouses cope with the absence of community? Over a period of eight weeks, a full-page article on Saturdays in the Noordhollands Dagblad.

This month writer Arnold van Bruggen and I are working on a new chapter within our multi-year project The Europeans based out of the Mondriaanfonds residency Het Pompgemaal. Although we are facing a total lockdown and defying harsh winter weather, we are grateful that so many people are making time for us. Our focus during this work period includes the pandemic impact on community life and people in crucial jobs. We will return here in September to continue working on this chapter, after which we plan to present publication and exhibition on the same place in October. More on that later. Meanwhile meet some Europeans.

A great article (thank you Diane Smyth) about The Europeans, the new multi-year adventure of writer and filmmaker Arnold van Bruggen and me.

Because of continuing restrictions due to the Corona pandemic, we felt it sensible to look for an appropriate region not far from home to work on chapter three. We are extremely fortunate that in the months of February, September and October 2021 we will be able to use Het Pompgemaal in Den Helder, an artist-in-residence that is operated by the Mondriaan Foundation. We will not only use Het Pompgemaal to produce new work for The Europeans, but also to temporarily transform the space into The Europeans headquarters with exhibitions and activities in October 2021. Stay tuned.

Earlier this year Arnold van Bruggen and I worked in The Black Country on the second chapter as part of The Europeans. The work wasn’t finished. We wanted to go back one more time to create a follow-up. And then Corona made its entry in Europe. A huge number of mandatory quarantine days back and forth makes The Black Country currently practically unattainable for us to work. The launch of the publication - which was scheduled for this autumn - has been postponed until the spring of 2021. Despite this delay, we intend to complete the second chapter soon in one of many Black Countries in Europe.
 
Help us to make this second publication of The Europeans happen and to keep the work accessible to a broad audience by adopting this region for €120. A unique numbered hardcover edition will be sent to you as a reward.

From 17 to 20 September 2020, Forum on European Culture will take place for the third time in De Balie Amsterdam. Forum on European Culture is a biennial forum on the strength, impact and value of art and culture for Europe. Work from our first chapter The Former Capital will be shown on the ground floor of De Balie. In addition, as part of this event, posters and stories of The Europeans will be displayed at various cultural institutions such as Stadsschouwburg, European Cultural Foundation and Athenaeum Boekhandel.

Once again, Corona forced us, writer Arnold van Bruggen, designers Kummer & Herrman and me, to come up with an alternative exhibition for The Europeans. And to be honest, we like! From the start of BredaPhoto, posters of Europeans are all over Breda behind windows and on panels crisscrossing the city. If you see one, scan the QR code for the story behind the photo. And if you live in Breda, please sign up for a poster via the link below, so that we all together can transform the streets of Breda into a grand BredaPhoto The Europeans museum!

Sixteen pages on our new project The Europeans in the latest issue of GUP Magazine, loaded with a great interview by Daniel Boetker-Smith plus visual reporting on The Europeans.

On May 28 (Thursday), 5 p.m. conversation with the authors of the exhibition and the accompanying publication “The Former Capital” – photographer Rob Hornstra and writer Arnold van Bruggen will be broadcasted live on Kaunas Photography Gallery Facebook account. The conversation will be held in English, later the Lithuanian translation will be added to the recording.

One month ago our first region exhibition The Former Capital was postponed due to Corona. We immediately recreated the exhibition in the virtual world using the digital exhibition platform Artsteps. So far, 14K people visited our online exhibition space. Then suddenly the positive news arrived that the ‘real’ exhibition was allowed to start. And so the exhibition was reconstructed from the virtual world into the real world. The exhibition in Kaunas Gallery will last until 14 June 2020. The one at Artsteps infinite (to visit via our website www.theeuropeans.fm).

Work from The Europeans is part of the online edition of Europe Day 2020, organised by our partner European Cultural Foundation. A series of windows to experience Europe. The festival lasts until 29 May, after that the website will go offline.

One month after the launch of our first region publication The Former Capital, only a few copies of the Special Edition are still available. Make sure you buy it before they are all gone! It’s an incredibly beautiful mainly handmade signed and numbered edition including print of your choice (!) at a very reasonable price. And yes, last but not least, you big time support the continuation of our new project The Europeans Project!

One month ago I was approached by a bloke named Dan Briston, who asked if he could write an article about the work of Arnold van Bruggen and me for his website Another Observer. Yesterday he reported that the article had been published. Well, article… Better a comprehensive essay of more than 5,000 words dealing with almost every topic related to the creation of slow journalism projects like content, organizational structure, funding, social media, photographic style, visual referencing, online exhibitions and yes, even critical comments. Thank you Dan!

Article about our online exhibition (in Dutch): “Met een VR-bril op heb je het ­gevoel dat je er echt bent, maar de ervaring zonder bril is ook de moeite waard. Door de cursor te bewegen kun je door de galerie ‘lopen’ en foto’s aanklikken voor extra ­informatie. Op een tafeltje staan twee boeken uitgestald: een speciale en een budgeteditie van dit eerste hoofdstuk van het project, te koop in de webwinkel. Buiten is er een steegje dat naar de zee leidt. Het is een grappige verwijzing naar The Sochi Project die alleen online mogelijk is; midden in Litouwen kijk je uit over de Zwarte Zee.”

The Europeans is a multi-year storytelling project that cannot exist without financial support. Fortunately, there are people who support our work and help tremendously by adopting a region. They provide the foundation for our work, for which we are infinitely grateful. In order to be able to continue the project, we are also reliant on grants and sponsors. And that’s the reason why we are delighted to announce that the European Cultural Foundation (ECF) has committed to the project with an intention for five years. With the only task for us of continuing to create stories in our own way and occasionally sharing them through their distribution channels. Thank you ECF!

Of course I don’t want to discourage you from ordering the first regional publication of The Europeans through my online store, however, in case you live in America or Canada it might be more convenient to buy from the US bookstore photoeye.com.

Article by Merel Bem in Dutch daily newspaper De Volkskrant on the occasion of our virtual exhibition The Former Capital: Virtueel wandelen door een Litouwse galerie mét Zwarte Zee.

Our virtual exhibition is de Volkskrant tip of the day for an online doses of art and culture: The Europeans is the intended successor to the renowned The Sochi Project, which among other things developed new ways of presenting documentary photography. For The Europeans, local partners, newspapers and galleries were sought all over Europe. In Lithuania, the first regional publication The Former Capital was to be launched this week, at the same time as the opening of a similar named exhibition in the Kaunas Gallery in Kaunas, the country’s second largest city. This will not happen, but the makers have now created the exhibition online, by virtually recreating the gallery space, including the square in the heart of Kaunas, where the gallery is located.

If you have VR goggles or Google Cardboard at home, you can visit our exhibition The Former Capital in VR. How does it work? Very simple. Download the free app Artsteps on your phone and open the app. Click on ‘guest’ and scroll to the right. After a few exhibitions you will see The Former Capital by The Europeans. You can choose whether you just want to watch in 2D or watch in VR, so that you really feel like you’re in space. Have fun!

The Former Capital is the first regional publication of The Europeans, the new multi-year project by Arnold van Bruggen and Rob Hornstra. The Former Capital is a region where in the wake of newfound independence, nationalism and militarism are on the rise. The search for a strong, own identity is strengthened by a stagnating economy and the consequences of depopulation. The surge of globalism, open borders and a new morality often clashes with those clinging to the values of the conservative class.

An endless number of art events have been cancelled worldwide due to the Coronavirus. Also the launch of our regional publication / exhibition The Former Capital - programmed on April 2 - was postponed. Transport of exhibition and books was already on its way.

After digesting the setback and with help from our partner Kummer & Herrman, we decided to work hard on recreating the exhibition online, exactly like we imagined it to be. When you put on VR glasses, you almost feel like you’re there. But without VR glasses you can also go inside.

And so the launch of the publication and exhibition The Former Capital is still a reality on the intended day. A local audience can now still visit the exhibition. However, also the rest of the world can take a look. The Coronavirus is forcing us to follow new paths. Who knows this may lead to beautiful and surprising insights.

You can visit our exhibition from behind your computer screen by following the link below or via the Artsteps app on your phone and in VR.

As many of you know by now, Arnold van Bruggen and I have embarked on a new multi-year venture entitled The Europeans. In the coming years we plan to document about twenty heartland regions and in the past few months we have made an incredible amount of new work. Now our first official presentation moment is approaching: The launch of the first regional publication including exhibition on 2 April, of course in the region where the work was created: The Former Capital!

And you can help us. This weekend is the last moment to adopt the first chapter AND get your name mentioned in the special hardcover edition of the upcoming first chapter publication ‘The Former Capital’.

By adopting a region you make it possible for us to pursue this multi-year project, but also you help us to fulfill our ambition to keep the sales price of the trade edition accessible to a broad audience.

Between 14 January and 26 January 2020, I am working on chapter 2 of our new project The Europeans in The Black Country. Supported by the amazing Multistory and Creative Black Country.

A nice story about our new project The Europeans. Thanks to The British Journal of Photography!

Where the staggering ambition of The Europeans is striking, this extends further than the breadth of its subject matter alone. As with The Sochi Project, commitment lies here in Hornstra and Van Bruggen’s intention that their work should transcend the confines of the photography world and have an impact on society at large – beyond the echo chambers of those who already see and think like them – connecting and working closely with countless Europeans along the way.

One of many ambitions Arnold and I have in our new project The Europeans is that we want to use our work to engage people in the heartland regions where we work. We do this for example by first launching our region publication during an exhibiting in a local gallery. In addition, we are trying to team up with a local newspaper, in order to reach a wider audience than just cultural enthusiasts. In the first region where we worked, this has led to a great partnership with the local newspaper Kauno Diena. Every week until the opening of the exhibition at the beginning of April 2020, they publish a full-page portrait from our project in the Saturday issue. The Former Capital is starting to warm up!

If you’ve been to Unseen Amsterdam, you’ve most likely seen our free introductory newspaper or maybe even brought it home with you. In the near future we will try to distribute the newspaper as much as possible through selected organisations such as FOTODOK Utrecht, Photoq Bookstore Amsterdam, Martin Parr Foundation in Bristol or events such as Paris Photo and the FOTODOK Book Club. Also, a free newspaper will be included with every order in my online store.

Since the launch of The Europeans during Unseen Amsterdam, our website TheEuropeans.fm is also online. This temporary website is intended to provide information during the start-up phase of the project. And, because also this project depends on supporters, ways to support us in accomplishing this ambitious project. We hope to be able to transform TheEuropeans.fm into a narrative website after the completion of the first chapters in 2020.

On Saturday 21 September 2019 Arnold van Bruggen and I will give a short introduction on our new project The Europeans during Unseen Amsterdam. Join us for fun and freebies.

Announcement of our new project The Europeans and launch at Unseen Book Market in daily newspaper Het Parool.

Our first interview in connection with The Europeans was recently published on the website of local newspaper cum collaborative partner Kauna Diena.

Excerpt from grant application: “Europe is at a crossroads. The dissatisfied are more powerful than ever, pushing the united Europe into the forefront of drastic measures. This is precisely why this is the moment for an extensive time document in the tradition of Robert Frank’s The Americans or Henri Cartier-Bresson’s Les Européens. In Les Européens, Cartier-Bresson looked beyond nationalism or local customs to find evidence for a greater identity, a European resemblance shared by the people and the landscape. Arnold and I feel inspired by this ambition and want to create a time document of a continent that seems to be prelude to rigorous change.”

I am happy to announce that in the coming months I will have the opportunity to fully focus on setting up a new long-term project: The Europeans. To make that happen, I will be leaving my current job as co-head of the Photography Department at the Royal Academy of Art, The Hague (KABK), for a while. In collaboration with The Sochi Project team Arnold van Bruggen and Kummer & Herrman, we will be using this period to determine the viability and ultimate form of the project. Within this start-up period we will produce, publish and exhibit the first two chapters of the multi-chapter project in collaboration with the Kaunas Photography Gallery (Europe) and Multistory in the Black Country (Europe). The start-up phase of The Europeans is generously supported by the Mondriaan Fund.