Ruben Hoekstra

My name is Ruben. I come from Zoutkamp and now live in Winsum, in the heart of the Wadden area. The Lauwersmeer is almost on my doorstep and I know the landscape well. Since studying Forest and Nature Management I look at it differently. I see how it came to be. How everything is connected. That is also what draws me to the Ziltepad. I want to understand the landscape better, walking past wierden, villages and churches that have stood in the same place for centuries.

This will be my first long journey and that makes it exciting. The past two years were shaped by caring for my little daughter, who became seriously ill. That changed a lot. This journey feels like a moment to pause. To make space again. Less rushing, more attention for what is there.

Along the way I record what I encounter, partly with an instant camera for the churches along the route. That one definitely cannot be left out of the rucksack.