Explorer, biologist and photographer Arita Baaijens spent seven years searching, in the ‘gold’ Altai Mountains, for a legendary paradise that has traditionally been thought to exist in this region.
During her last expedition she investigated the reasons why some sites are deemed sacred by the local culture. In addition to this she studied the ways in which landscape and mind relate to each other in the area.
De Ketelfactory follows her footsteps with the exhibition ‘Search for Paradise’. Visitor will follow the traveler on her journey through the Altai Mountains.
On an experimental map Baaijens recorded the way in which her mind responded to the landscape through which she journeyed on horseback for four months. What came about was a map that relates emotions to physical surroundings. The result is fascinating: her mind proved to perceive far more than she could have thought possible.
During the exhibition the new book of Arita Baaijens on her journey through the Altai Mountains will be published: ‘Zoektocht naar het paradijs’ (Search for Paradise), an investigation of truth and reality in the heart of Central Asia (Publisher: Atlas Contact).
For her research on the meaning of landscape Arita Baaijens has received international recognition and prizes. In 2014 she was granted the international Women of Discovery Humanity Award and was proclaimed Traveler of the Year 2014 by the Spanish Geographical Society.
Among other books, she has published ‘Een regen van eeuwig vuur’ (A Rain of Perpetual Fire’), ‘Woestijnnomaden’ (Desert Nomads) and ‘Desert Songs’, which became Best Photo-Travel book in 2008.
distillation ‘Mindscape Meets Landscape’
Date: 6 March 2016
In collaboration with: Matthijs Schouten
During this Distillation we join natural philosopher, biologist and ecologist Matthijs Schouten in an exploration of the connection between the landscape and our thinking. A video portrait of Arita Baaijens will be shown, created by Kim Everdine Zeegers.
publication
To accompany the exhibition, a publication was released by the name of: ‘Search for Paradise’.
video portrait
articles (in Dutch)
Altai expedition 2013 – Wings World Quest Flag Report
De kunst is te leven op de rand van het mysterie – Arjan Visser in Trouw
Het verstand laten varen – Angela van der Elst in VPRO gids