Afstand is een taal die je kunt meten

The Veluwe is rich in cycling routes. During the site-specific art and locational theatre festival Woest en Bijster, among the familiar red-and-white signposts you will encounter several remarkable variations by visual artist Sanne van Balen. These signs do not point the way to the next town, but instead refer to one another and to the landscape itself, inviting us to lose our way.

Sanne is both a writer and a visual artist. With her literary installations, she explores how language can take form beyond the written text. In her work, she forges a connection between language and landscape. She defines the landscape as a linguistic space in which meaning is generated. According to her, the landscape “has a handwriting, like a horizon in the distance.” By learning to read that handwriting, we gain a deeper understanding of the reality around us.

For this project, Sanne explored the linguistic landscape of Ede. She asked residents to share texts that guide them. These often turned out to be Bible verses, but also song lyrics and poems. From these, she composed a series of sentences in the imperative mood; a register frequently used in the Bible and fitting for wayfinding signs. On the signposts, the sentences are grouped as fragments that might together form a whole.

With this work, Sanne shows how language can offer support and direction. As we cycle along the route in search of these inspiring words, we gradually uncover a landscape rich in meaning.

About Woest en Bijster
Woest en Bijster is a site-specific art and locational theatre festival that takes place every three years in the landscapes around Ede, Lunteren, and their surroundings.