How could roleplay and escapism help establish and deepen a relationship between two people who had just met?
For years, I had been researching hotels on the internet, and during my residency in Amsterdam, I discovered Koningin van Pieterburen — a small bed and breakfast in Pieterburen, a tiny village in the north of the Netherlands with about 400 inhabitants. The B&B was run by Astrid van Rose, who had been an artist, singer, entertainer, and kitsch collector for over 35 years. Her unique hotel offered children the chance to fully experience their childhood fantasies and adults a way to evoke their childhood memories.
I first visited Pieterburen in March 2018 to meet Astrid. I began helping around the hotel, taking care of her dogs, welcoming guests, and preparing breakfast. On our first day together, Astrid and I unknowingly created a ritual: we dressed up as different characters and spent more and more time together around her hotel. Over time, I gradually became part of her quirky world. Our roles constantly changed—she was sometimes my mother, other times my sister or daughter.
Through my photographs, I investigated alternative routes and rituals of becoming acquainted with a new person. Astrid and I came from different cultures, and there was a generational gap between us. Our only shared passion was the magical world of fairy tales.
In the first chapter of my series, I tried to find my own fictional character next to hers while capturing our everyday life together.
2018
