Exposition Murderer's Breakthrough
Every sway in a dike tells a story. A story of devastation, breach and repair. Those old scars are silent witnesses of fear, courage and resilience. Raised in the North Holland polder landscape, photographer Loek Buter finds his inspiration in his own surroundings. With his photographs he investigates the relationship between man and nature, and reconstructs the events that have left scars in the landscape, such as the intriguing Killer Breach near Warder.
A fallow is an old dike breach. The water flowed so hard inland that it washed out deep holes. Because of these gullies, also called wheels, it was often not possible to put the dike back in the same place. Then there was nothing else to do but to move the dike with an arc around the outside of the hole in the sea or inside around the land. And so the characteristic windings in the dike were created. The story of those twists is now being told.
This exhibit portrays the strength and vulnerability of our levees. The photographs provide food for thought. Because the question remains: how do we maintain our dikes in an area that is largely below sea level? Especially in the autumn we are extra alert to high water, heavy rainfall and storms that can cause nuisance or risks. This exhibition therefore fits perfectly with the public campaign: Ready for water!
Loek Buter (b. 1982, Langedijk) specializes in documentary photography and has worked for National Geographic Magazine and de Volkskrant, among others. His photographs have been published in many renowned magazines. His work has repeatedly won awards at the Zilveren Camera, resulting in exhibitions at the Kunsthal Rotterdam and the Fotomuseum Den Haag.
Visitor information
The exhibition Murderer's Breach can be visited from today until early February 2025 during office hours (8:30 - 17:00) in the hall of the office of the Water Board, Stationsplein 136, 1703 WC Heerhugowaard. Entrance is free of charge. The visit can be combined with a visit to the museum space Waterschat, where visitors can hear wonderful stories about the history of the water board via a free audio tour.
