Shortlist, The Collective Landscape by Eddo Hartmann

"The Collective Landscape photography project is inspired by British landscape architect Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe, who saw the landscape as a collective art project made by civilisation. To emphasise this idea, I used artificial lighting to illuminate areas being modified by scientists while they carry out research in the Dutch landscape.

This project was made in partnership with the University of Groningen. The aim of this collaboration was to show an autonomous artistic view of scientific life. The pictures depict the University’s research, which looks at the urgent challenges of creating a sustainable future while managing the demands of a largely populated country that sits below sea level.

The Dutch landscape is under enormous pressure from the various claims on its limited space. It’s very challenging to protect the landscape as a collective value, and prepare it for the future at the same time. Changes usually conjure up serious resistance. It’s easy to look away from responsibility, when the consequences of your choices are less visible in the short-term. "