Solitude - Natuurmuseum Fryslân

Retreating from human company altogether to find freedom in utter solitude is an extreme measure that exists at the other end of the scale of losing oneself in the crowd. Living alone in the wild, one’s social identity, no longer upheld by the presence of others, gradually dissolves into the silence left by words that no longer need be spoken. Those parts of our selves that will remain solid or suddenly manifest themselves can only be known to those who venture down this path with nature as their sole mirror. Those will survive who can withstand what stares back at them through the hardships and the loneliness that waits for them. – And eagerly we stand by to receive the words of their return as if they have just fallen to earth.

De Maar’s tale of her own travels off the trodden path is contrasted against those of the forest dwellers, who speak through the work of Danila Tkachenko of their life at the utmost fringe.