PJ Roggeband
PJ Roggeband is, among other things, initiator of special expeditions, promulgator of the Uitlaattuin, serial draftsman, driving force behind the Elfletterig Society, curator of revealing art projects and disseminator of the ideas of the Russian Futurist Velimir Chlebnikov. In addition to the theme of wandering, PJ Roggeband investigates how the concept of ‘guide’ (both in the sense of map and expedition leader) can play a role in this.
As part of his art practice, PJ Roggeband regularly initiates expeditions, often to unknown locations. How to read an (urban) landscape is one of his starting points. He tries to put unusual subjects and locations back on the map by confronting visitors with challenging themes in a stimulating way (associations, observations, objections and contradictions). As a guide he presents unexpected perspectives and surprising starting points.
The book ‘The Old Ways’ by Robert Macfarlane serves as the starting point for Roggeband’s research. In the book, the British writer focuses his search on nature as entered by humans. A footprint of human life in alandscape. The theme deals with the relationship between paths, walking and imagination. The book also explores the way in which we have been shaped by the landscape we move through. Roggeband’s research combines two themes that are important in his professional practice. Firstly, the question of the role of nature and public greenery in general and the garden in particular. Secondly, the role of ‘mapping’, in particular the collection of data from a particular landscape or urban environment and its (performative) elaboration.