Noorderlicht Photofestival 2012: Terra Cognita

The 19th edition of the Noorderlicht International Photofestival transcends photographic genres to sketch a picture of the relation between man and nature, on the basis of the work of 115 photographers.

Terra Cognita is about the experience of nature, in all its manifestations, from tactile, living and breathing nature, to the nature of our thoughts, its dreamed and fantastic incarnations. Although man sometimes seems to be hardly present in the photos, he has unmistakably left his stamp on it. In all this work the landscape reveals the emotions and thoughts that the photographer has projected on it. The diverse and complex ways in which we see and experience landscapes – the nature in our genes and our minds – echo through the breadth of Terra Cognita. From timeless black and white to conceptual or computer generated, the blending of genres is total. Like nature itself, this is an exhibition not just to be seen, but to be experienced.

Oranjewoud Estate Museum Park

Museum Belvédère stands in the Oranjewoud Estate Museum Park, with splendid gardens and water features and a rich cultural history. The Dutch National Forestry Service has made the park available, so that a large part of the exhibition can be integrated into these beautiful outdoor spaces.

Museum Belvédère shows four of the six chapters of Terra Cognita.
1. The Enchanted Forest
2. Safe Haven
3. Inspiration
4. Into The Unknown