Rooted

Since 2005, the photographer Henk Wildschut has been following the routes and stations of refugees throughout and on the edges of Europe. The story “Rooted” captures solely the physical legacies of the refugees in Jordan, Tunisia and Lebanon, which brings the viewer closer to the sometimes long and exhausting journey of the escape in a different way. Thrown back on an inescapable state of waiting and hoping that stretches from months to years, the monotonous tent landscapes of the transition camps become temporary dwellings that are occupied, animated and cared for by the residents. Temporary gardens, marked areas that express the desire for privacy, stretched cloths that serve as sun and / or privacy protection, elaborately designed flower beds, birdhouses or flower pots made of cans fill the monotony of every day life. At the same time, they illustrate the need and longing of the refugees for protection, care and a place for individual development and retreat. The gardens and flowerbeds become silent witnesses to the inhuman endurance of the refugees in this uncertain intermediate state.