BOOK  Reviere |  Realms
Japanese Binding, 274 pages, German/English, 240 photos, index with 48 short essays, 21x28cm, 2024 – Graphic design: gebr.silvestri
 – Kerber Verlag
AVAILABLE IN SHOP

With Reviere | Realms, Marieken Verheyen explores the forests of the Uckermark (formerly East Germany) as a dynamic, layered landscape: a palimpsest of nature, history, and human activity. Her photographs—presented in a book, as large-format prints, and in a video installation—go beyond mere documentation; they engage with the landscape, revealing the stories of coexistence, conflict, and change hidden within it.

From Observation to  immersion: rethinking the forest with the camera
In his book On the Animal Trail (Morizot 2021:7), philosopher and tracker Baptiste Morizot introduces the concept of s’enforester – to enforest oneself, describing the reciprocal relationship between humans and living territories: ‚We go into the forest, and at the same time it moves into us. Enforesting oneself does not require a forest in the strict sense, but simply a different relationship with living territories‘.
This concept challenges the human-nature binary. At the same time, „wilderness“ is a culturally formed perspective, shaped by history and power.

My work in the forests of the Uckermark, a rural region in the former GDR, explores this tension. Over the years, I have taken many photographs that have given rise to the REVIERE | REALMS project, which artistically explores the forests surrounding my studio in the Uckermark within a ten kilometer radius. The project consists of a book, large format photographs and a video installation.

At first glance, the area appears untouched by human hands, yet it is a palimpsest of non-human and human activity. Ancient trees cast shadows in which young saplings flourish, and the decay of trees, plants, and animals gives rise to new life. A vast, branching network of animal trails intersects with the remnants of GDR forestry, Cold War military sites, and hunting grounds. The romantic ideal of pristine nature is continually disrupted here; the forest reveals itself as a space where ecological, social, and political forces converge.

In nature photography, the focus is often on the spectacular, the exotic or the romantic, with an emphasis on the sublime and the aesthetic value of the image rather than its deeper layers. My approach is more empathetic, seeking to engage with nature and let it speak for itself, I use my camera to participate.

My photographs do more than merely document the forest; they delve into it and reveal the layers of meaning and usage that define it. The forest is not just a backdrop; it is a dynamic, contested space where every trace tells a story of coexistence, conflict, and change.