Balkan buzz

Ever since completing the Capitals project, I have felt somewhat in a transition regime. Plenty of ideas for follow-up projects but none that really got of the ground. One of the reasons is certainly that since the publication of the book, the Capitals have continued to ask a lot of my attention (the distribution, the exhibitions at Solvay and Berlaymont). But it really is time to move on. Pakistan - a short, all-or-nothing campaign - brought a welcome relief. And I have started to make concrete plans for a new, larger scale project. From the autumn onwards I will start to explore the Balkan countries in an effort to take the photographic pulse of what may eventually become Europe’s new frontier. End of October I will travel to Belgrade for a first, exploratory foray in a territory that is almost completely unknown to me. There are similarities with the Capitals project: the European dimension, a string of countries (Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Kosovo, Albania and Turkey), black-and-white. I will also stick to the panoramic format, albeit with the XPan which has a different feel from the Horizon. I may mix panoramic with other formats (Pakistan gave me confidence that I can do that). Generally, the plan is to approach this project in a more relaxed, improvisatory way, with less boundary conditions imposed upfront. The focus will not only be on the urban areas. Landscapes and people will be part of the story too. Given that I know people that will help me establishing contacts locally, there may definitely be more emphasis on the human element. I will try to conclude this project more quickly than the Capitals (say, in two years). As the scope is more limited, this must be possible. All in all, it feels good to be tackling another topophotographical chapter. I definitely look forward to it.