Below Sea Level: Landscapes of Memory and Water

Below Sea Level: Landscapes of Memory and Water" explores the hidden, fragile landscapes behind the dikes of Northern Netherlands, a land existing below sea level, sustained only by human ingenuity and the mercy of nature. This series is a visual meditation on the vulnerability and beauty of a terrain perpetually balanced between land and water, memory and reality.

August Langhout blends photography and painterly techniques to craft a dreamlike, abstract interpretation of this unique landscape. Color fields, textures, and layering transform reality into a poetic world, where the hues of the Wadden Sea and the geometric lines of dikes and canals merge. Subtle imperfections and distortions, like ripples or specks, emphasize the ephemeral, fragile nature of this land, suspended between protection and surrender.

Inspired by the painter Ploeg Group’s expressive traditions and modern photomanipulation, Langhout uses digital editing and hand applied textures to create a hybrid art form. Each image reflects the relationship between humans and nature, the subjectivity of memory, and the hidden beauty of a land forever teetering on the edge.

This series is not just a depiction of a physical place but a contemplation of time, memory, and the quiet resilience of a landscape that exists only by grace.