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PRESS AND READERS' COMMENTS ON
A RESISTIBLE FORCE

Pauline van Lynden







The press on A RESISTIBLE FORCE / DONKERE PALISSADEN

  • De Paalhoofden, dat zijn wij (The breakwaters are us), Provinciale Zeeuwse Courant, 16 August 2005
    Ik weet niet wat er met me gebeurde. Ik zag de palen en het hout van dichtbij en dacht: morgen neem ik mijn camera mee. In de kortste keren had ik twaalf rolletjes vol.
    I don't know what happened to me. I had a closer look at the poles and wood and I thought, tomorrow I'm bringing my camera. Within the shortest time I had taken twelve rolls of film.
    view article
     
  • Fotografe richt monument op voor de Zeeuwse paalhoofden (Photographer erects monument for the Zeeland breakwaters), Boekblad, 26 September 2007
    Met het boek 'Donkere Palissaden' heeft Pauline van Lynden niet alleen een monument willen oprichten voor de Zeeuwse paalhoofden, maar ook voor de kracht van Nederland.
    With her book A Resistible Force Pauline van Lynden has not only erected a monument for the Zeeland breakwaters but also for the strength of the Netherlands. view article
     
  • Het leesbaar landschap (The readable landscape), Zeelandboek 11, September 2007
    ... over the centuries, the groynes – one of the oldest forms of coastguard – have become so one with the natural landscape that their presence seems self-evident, unrelenting. Who would seriously think about them as something special? Pauline van Lynden began just with that in the summer of 2002. She was working on book about a far-away land and found a new book, close by.
    view article
     
  • Paalhoofden als wachters aan zee (Breakwaters like sentinels by the sea), PZC, Provinciale Zeeuwse Courant, 30 October 2007
    Airing out her head on the beach, it was as if she saw the rows of poles for the first time. And was gripped by them. Not only as the subject of photographs and drawings, but also as a system of coastal protection that is connected to the entire history of Walcheren and even of the Dutch coast.
    view article
     
  • Klimaatpaniek (Climate panic), Schuttevaer 24 November 2007
    Pauline van Lynden beschrijft en fotografeert de Walcherse paalhoofden met poëtische verwondering en begrip voor hun werking.
    Pauline van Lynden describes and photographs the Walcheren with poetic wonder and understanding of their function.

     
  • Verweerde wachters (Weathered watchmen), Dagblad Trouw, 27 November 2007
    A heavy storm from time to time would be useful to test flood control, Pauline prophetically writes in her conclusion. She was served at her beck and call. And she was instrumental in reopening the eyes in 'Delft' to this feat of inventiveness and cultural history. Dr Marcel Stive, Professor of Coastal Engineering, assured Pauline van Lynden at the book launch that it was not only a superb result of her research, but that the breakwaters deserve to be the subject of a PhD.
    view article
     
  • De Dynamiek van houten palen (The dynamics of wooden pilings), Schuttevaer, 1 December 2007
    Pauline van Lynden's A Resistible Force, with its artistic photographs and exquisite printing quality, describes a unique and monumental type of coastal protection in a way that non-engineers can fully enjoy. Her arts background may be surprising for a scientific book about the Walcheren breakwaters, but her talent and academic curiosity have carried her far. The author has managed the entire production – text, illustrations, design, printwork and publication – herself. She raised the necessary finance by involving relevant organisations and maritime companies through her Visual Legacy Foundation. A brave initiative with a result that should not be missing in any Zeeland book collection. view article
     
  • Pauline’s palen (Pauline’s palisades), De Telegraaf, 29 December 2007
    Mijn boek omvat ook de vastberadenheid van een volk dat is blijven wonen op een plek die daar oorspronkelijk niet bepaald geschikt voor was.
    My book also illustrates the determination of a people that continued to live in an area originally not suited at all for that purpose.
    view article
     
  • Paulines bezeepokte palissaden (Pauline’s pockmarked palisades), Maasnieuws, January 2008
    Pauline van Lynden breekt met de traditie van het koel mathematisch beschrijven van hardware. In dit kunstzinnig kustbeschermingsboek is ruimte voor emotie. Haar werkzaamheden bleven niet onopgemerkt: voor de provincie Zeeland waren zij aanleiding om de paalhoofden op de monumentenlijst te zetten. Pauline van Lynden breaks with a tradition of cold mathematical hardware descriptions. In this artistic book about coastal defence there is room for emotion. Her activities did not remain unnoticed: they motivated the province of Zeeland to put the groynes on their list of endangered cultural heritage. view article
     
  • Donkere Palissaden, Spiegel der Zeilvaart, February 2008
    'Een vat vol visuele verwennerij voor varenden en andere liefhebbers van de zee.'
    A vessel brimming over with visual pleasure for sailors and lovers of the sea.

     
  • Het landschap op de snijtafel (The landscape on the dissecting table), NRC, 28 March 2008
    ...een wereld waaraan de meeste mensen misschien voorbij gaan.... 'Donkere Palissaden' laat de visuele en historische rijkdom zien van zoiets vanzelfsprekends als kustbescherming.
    ... a world which perhaps most people pass without noticing. 'A Resistible Force' shows the visual and historical treasure to be found in such an everyday subject as coastal protection, which we take so much for granted.
    view article
     
  • Wachters aan de waterlijn (Sentinels at the shoreline), Vivant, April 2008
    Kunstenares Pauline van Lynden schreef het majestueuze boek Donkere Palissaden met foto's uit alle seizoenen, archiefstukken en verhalen van Zeeuwen, dijkbewakers, ingenieurs en historici.
    The artist Pauline van Lynden illustrates her imposing book A Resistible Force with photographs taken in all seasons, archival material, and the stories of Zeelanders, coastguards, engineers and historians.
    view article
     
  • Queeste naar verweerde verhalen (Quest for weathered stories), Reformatorisch Dagblad, April 2, 2008
    Eigenlijk wordt de gecompliceerde verhouding van Nederland met het water in z'n geheel samengebald in die onbeweeglijke, donkere en mysterieuze palissaden.
    In a way the totality of these immobile, dark and mysterious palisades summarises the intricate relationship of the Dutch with the sea.
    view article
     
  • Zwarte hoofden en Rolling Stones (Dark breakwaters and Rolling Stones), Volkskrant, Cicero, 9 May 2008
    Beschuimde bulten, trotse wachters, het Zeeuwse Stonehenge in de avondzon. Verweerd hout bekleed met algen, pokken, gevangen stukken visnet. Pauline van Lynden laat ons in haar verbazing delen, over kustwerken die door weer en wind in kunstwerken zijn veranderd.
    Foam-clad ridges, proud watchmen, a Dutch Stonehenge in the evening sun. Weathered wood covered with algae, barnacles, trapped pieces of netting. Pauline van Lynden shares with us her fascination for coastal works transformed by nature into works of art.
    view article
     
  • Wachters aan zee (Sentinels of the sea), Seasons, September 2008
    What exactly have you learned? A holy respect for nature, how strong it is and how we cannot resist it. My wanderings on the Walcheren beaches have shown me how small we are. And at the same time: how easily we destroy everything. Especially because we do not realise that simple things also represent our heritage – it is not only culture, castles and cathedrals. The idea that heritage could also exist in a simple wooden spoon, or a pole, that’s new. And what I've also learned is how wonderful it is to be outside and to watch nature develop. Sometimes for the good, sometimes less so. view article with full translation

     
  • Zeeuwse Boekenprijs 2008 (Zeeland Book Prize 2008), November 2008.
    In de categorie geschiedenis zijn drie boeken genomineerd maar het boek van Pauline van Lynden, Donkere Palissaden uitgegeven door Stichting Visual Legacy had niet misstaan in de afdeling kunst door de fraaie fotografie die de boeiende tekst over dit over het hoofd geziene onderwerp een hechte bedding geeft. Hierdoor is de strandpaal door haar voor eeuwig tussen ons en de horizon verankerd. De jury kwam bijeen in Veere waar tijdens het Campveerse Torenoverleg de beslissing werd genomen de Zeeuwse Boekenprijs 2008 toe te kennen aan een boek dat de kern, het hart van Zeeland blootlegt. Het is een persoonlijke zoektocht naar een oer-Zeeuws onderwerp: de strijd tegen het water. Er in vormen persoonlijke observaties en geprekken met dijkwerkers het vertrekpunt voor nader onderzoek. Stap voor stap kom je bijna alles te weten over kustverdedigingstechnieken, paalhoofden, bewoners en leefomgeving. Uit het boek rijst een beeld van de provincie op dat op indringende wijze de complexe verhouding van de Zeeuw met het water blootlegt. De tegelijk zakelijk en persoonlijke tekst vindt zijn nadere verbeelding in een adembenemende fotoreportage van paalhoofden in al hun hoedanigheden.'

    Three books were nominated in the history category, but Pauline van Lynden's book, A Resistible Force, published by the Visual Legacy Foundation, would not have misstood in the art section due to the beautiful photography which gives a solid bedding to the captivating text on this overlooked subject. Her work has forever anchored the beach pilings between us and the horizon. The jury came together in Veere where it was decided to give the Zeeland Book Prize 2008 to a book which reveals the essence, the heart of Zeeland. It is a personal quest into a deeply Dutch subject: the fight against water. Personal observations and conversations with the dyke workers form the starting point of her research. Step by step one gets to know almost everything about coastal defence techniques, breakwaters, the local people and their surroundings. The book gives a moving portrait of the province and the complex relationship of its inhabitants with the sea. The both efficient and personal text is further illustrated with breathtaking photographs of the life of the breakwaters.
    www.literatuurplein

     
  • Boekenprijs voor Pauline van Lynden (Zeeland Book Prize for Pauline van Lynden), Provinciale Zeeuwse Courant, 1 November 2008
    'Donkere Palissaden' weet het hart van Zeeland bloot te leggen.
    'A Resistible Force' reveals the soul of Zeeland.'
    view article
     
  • A Resistible Force: When man meets the sea, Terra & Aqua, December 2008
    This book is about an ancient system of coastal defence that exists nowhere else in the world on this scale. As coastal management has become a matter of international importance and solutions for the protection of the coasts are more vital than ever, the palisades on the beaches of Walcheren represent a fine example of inventiveness for other shores of the world.
    view article
     



Readers’ comments on A RESISTIBLE FORCE / DONKERE PALISSADEN

  • A Resistible Force is werkelijk een prachtig boek dat de essentie raakt van wat Nederland is!
    A Resistible Force' is a truly beautiful book which touches the very essence of the Netherlands.
    Bob Hiensch, Ambassador for the Netherlands in India

     
  • I loved the voice that came through her writing. She is obviously a great story teller. It has a lovely narrative voice that is immensely readable.
    Katharine Fortin, University of Utrecht

     
  • Your beautiful book arrived yesterday and I took it home with me, looked at it carefully, and began to read the text. It is gorgeous! The pictures, the old maps and the historical photos evoke the place and its long, extraordinary history. I look forward to reading more of the text- that reads as a finely written, probing complement to the visuals.
    Prof. Stephen Olsen, Coastal Resources Center, University of Rhode Island

     
  • Het is een indrukwekkend boekwerk met een uitzonderlijke balans van ratio en gevoel, van tekst en beeld.
    It is an impressive piece of work showing a rare balance of intellect and sensitivity, of text and image
    F.van de Velde, publisher, the Netherlands

     
  • What a fantastic contribution to the concept of 'heritage' and I’m so glad it’s been recognised.
    Dr Caroline Tisdall, writer and art historian, London

     
  • ... to luxuriate with your stunningly beautiful book...a fascinating mix of scholarship, insights, and images - and simply amazing photography.
    Laila Tyabji, designer, founder of DASTKAR, India

     
  • I really enjoyed your book about the beach...YOUR beach! You have a lovely story telling style that blends facts, history, geology into a non-academic and highly enjoyable and interesting read.
    Nina Subramani, Elephant Corridor Films, Bangalore

     
  • Il est magnifique. Quelle précision dans tous les détails, tant au point de vue design, impression, et fabrication. J'en ai commencé la lecture mais vos photos, je n'ai pu que les parcourir rapidement. Quelles merveilles. Les beaux livres de photos on les pose sur un petit lutrin, bien en vue et on tourne une page chaque jour.
    Your book is magnificent. What precision and detail in terms of design, printing and production... Beautiful photo-books belong on a small bookrest, well in sight, to turn a page every day.
    Michel Olyff, typographer and book designer, Brussels

     


Radio and Television interviews

  • Radio 1 De Ochtenden 071018 Steven Emmens, ‘Paalhoofden in Zeeland’
  • Radio Cool FM Zeeland, Theo Rietveld, various interviews 2007-2008, Interview CoolFM/Th. Rietveld.mp3
  • Omproep Zeeland radio, 2 november 2007
  • Omproep Zeeland tv, with Marius de Nobel, 2 november 2007
  • VARA Vroege Vogels Radio 1, 20-04-2008 vroegevogels.vara.nl
  • VARA Vroege Vogels TV Ned 2, 22-04-2008 vroegevogels.vara.nl
  • Tv Eén (Belgium), Vlaanderen Vakantieland, Ben gaat eilandhoppen in Zeeland, 16-7-2009

Copyright © Pauline van Lynden. All rights reserved