Fairy knots

The legend goes that horses with knots in their manes have been visited by fairies during the night for a magical adventure. The fairies twist the manes so they can climb up and ride them. Without the belief in this folklore, a long period of not combing the manes and the horses rolling and grooming can result in these knots. In the domesticated world of horses, we believe a well taken care of horse is brushed every day, with it's manes and tail combed, maybe even in a fishtail braid to prevent them from forming these knots. In the wild, horses are common to have these knots or even have leaves, branches and plants in them. This horse in the picture was abused and is very hard to approach, let alone brush. It shows us the boundaries of wild and domesticated. Approachable and 'brushable' or messy and wild. How we take care of our horses and how we perceive what is good care, makes us reconsider the relationships we have with horses. 

Challenging our preconceived notions of animals in our society, Nienke's work ultimately invites us to take a closer, more reflective look into our own relationship with animals and the ways in which we navigate and inhabit our space with them. 

My choice for Hahnemühle Bamboo Fine Art paper is based on the intention to decrease human impact and improve the sustainability of our world. Both through the subjects of photography and the way I create my art is aligned with the idea of having as little negative impact on my surroundings. And keeping it natural and sustainable with limited edition prints on bamboo fibers. I see and capture the world and subjects as they are and how I see them with my documentary style photography. Naturally beautiful without interference and sometimes painful when you start to think about the impact of human choices on other lives and the world.