In preparing to take the photographs, I did a lot of research into the battles, precisely where they took place, and precisely what took place. It was with this information in my mind that I visited the actual battlefields.

Today, every trace of the battles have been eradicated by the passage of time. They are now parking lots (Nieuwpoort), a depository (Heiligerlee), a burned down forest in a nature area (Mookerhei), a meadow with cows (Seneffe), an orchard (Neerwinden), and a soccerfield at the edge of some dunes (Castricum). Sharply focusing the images would show you this reality and no more.

If you look very closely at the images, you may be able to detect more than the abstract. You may see a rider at the battle of Heiligerlee, for example, carrying the Dutch flag. It is one of the generals, Adolf van Nassau, brother of the first ancestor of the Dutch royal family, who died in the battle. This event is still remembered in our National Anthem.

At Nieuwpoort, the Dutch army had a major advantage because the sun was shining directly in the faces of the Spanish troops. You may see something of the sunlight reflecting on the Spanish armour in the image.

Another reason I chose to blur the images is that, in my opinion, the accounts of the battles are also blurred. Documentary information is filtered through the eyes of those who have written it down, and history is often written by the winning party.

For me, this is my interpretation of these battles, made with my eyes and my conviction. And Chris, yes, I do think you sometimes see more with your eyes half shut. But hey, I am just a contemporary artist, and you are quite free not to like them! They work for me, and I am very grateful that they have recieved this exposure on How to be a Retronaut

Very best wishes
Eveline Kooijman