Sint Willebrord / Theike

Sint Willebrord, infamously known as Theike, is the epitome of Dutch village culture mixed with criminality and strong family values. It is very homogenous; consisting mostly of caucasian, native Dutch people from the working class. They strive for luxury most of all, even if it is superficial. People have tried to document it before, but were met with resistance.

The reluctance of the inhabitants to open up is what drove me to this place as the setting for my research model. Although unwilling to share information with people that ask for it, they do have a vast and open online presence. I wondered if I would be able to show the true heart of Theike using only what they shared online. This project is a study into a photographic and journalistic research method in the digital landscape using found footage.