Photography transcends the boundaries of language; it is a universal mode of expression that resonates with individuals across all cultures. Each captured image has the ability to communicate emotions, narratives, and the very essence of human experience.
Unlike words, which can sometimes fail to capture the depth of sentiment, photography offers a direct, visceral understanding of a concept, evoking feelings and thoughts that often require no translation.
Between 2010 and 2013, I embarked on a unique photographic collaboration with 19 poets from the Netherlands and Belgium, a journey that sought to explore the intricate relationship between the written word and visual imagery. As a non-Dutch speaker, I found myself confronting a compelling challenge: could I, through one single image, convey the essence and emotions of a poem without fully comprehending the language in which it was written? This inquiry served as the foundation of my project.
My journey began in April 2009, soon after my arrival in the Netherlands, when I decided to visit a Christmas market just across the German border in Osnabrück. While traveling back home on the train to Hengelo, I found myself in the drinks car of the German train. A few moments later, a man walked in and ordered a beer. My habit of engaging with strangers led me to introduce myself, asking him about his destination. He revealed that he was traveling from Berlin to Amsterdam, and he identified himself as a poet—his name was Menno Wigman. During our conversation, I told him I was a photographer and handed him my business card, unknowingly initiating a fateful connection. Two years later, much to my surprise, Menno stood before my camera as part of the Poet Portrait Project. Incredibly, he still possessed my business card as a reminder of our encounter. Tragically, Menno passed away in 2018, leaving an indelible mark on me and my artistic journey, and a legacy of poetry that names him as the poet of our generation.
The original Poet Portrait Project introduced me to remarkable individuals whose influence on my life continues to resonate with me deeply. Two years ago, I reconnected with Hanneke van Eijken, one of the poets from that initial collaboration. Over the years, we’ve maintained a friendship, often reminiscing about our past interactions and expressing a mutual desire to revive the original project in some form. Hanneke’s inspiration led to the formation of “Catch of Time,” a renewed initiative inviting all 19 poets from the original collaboration to reflect on their lives since the last time I photographed them, and to articulate their experiences through newly penned poems.
Now, over a decade later, I am revisiting this poignant concept with “Catch of Time.” This project reunites some of the original poets alongside a few new faces, creating a tapestry of reflections on the ever-looming march of time. How have their lives evolved over the past ten years? How has their poetry grown and transformed?
Among the contributing poets are notable figures such as Sasja Janssen, the recipient of the 2024 Johan Polak Poetry Prize and the Adriaan Roland Holst-Penning, Erik Jan Harmens, esteemed author of ‘Het grote autismeboek’, and Thomas Möhlmann, the editor of the renowned poetry magazine Awater, to name but a few.
Each of the 19 poets participating in this project was invited to craft a poem that reflects their unique experiences and insights over the last decade. From these evocative new works, I have designed conceptual portraits intended to visually capture the emotions and themes articulated in their verses. My hope is that viewers will not only be captivated by the portraits but also find a deep connection with the accompanying poems, as each image serves as a bridge between the visual and the literary, evoking a multilayered response that enriches the viewer’s understanding of time, change, and the transformative power of poetry. Through “Catch of Time,” I aspired to weave a narrative of shared human experience—one where the lens of a camera captures the intricate dance between words and images, allowing us all to engage with the essence of creativity and expression.
About Lynne Greenaway
Lynne Greenaway is a photographic portrait artist born and raised in Burlington, Ontario, Canada. She moved for love, in 2009 to Hengelo, the Netherlands, where she built a life with her husband and daughter. Her obsession with photography began at the age of 12, when she went to an Art Camp during the summer. There she made a camera obscura or pinhole camera from a shoebox, which made her intrigued by light and shadow and the magic of photography to this day. She earned her degree in ‘Media, Information and Techno-culture’ from the University of Western Ontario, after which she continued her studies at Loyalist College, graduating with a post-graduate diploma in photojournalism. She continued her studies in New York, where she apprenticed with world-famous celebrity photographer David LaChapelle. Lynne makes portraits in her original and timeless style. Her portraits are digitally finished and reflect the unique person. [Official Website]
