2021-2022

The trail project- chapter I

Familiar

In a second-hand shop, under a pile of old books hidden away, I found the photo album of Hannie and Billo (1939). The beautiful images of mountains, carefully selected and edited in the album made I knew I had found a treasure. I immediately felt a closeness to these people and recognized the area. For € 7,50 I took them home, and our trip together in the French Alpes started. At first, I didn’t know them that well, but by spending days and nights researching the places they went, I started to get familiar with them and saw how much we had in common. One late night I found out some images were actually postcards as one of the images fell out of the book: Hannie and Billo kept their family in Rotterdam up to date on their journey and send the cards to different addresses close to where I grew up. Stories about scary situations in the mountains, huts they slept in, and very short messages such as ‘Everything ok!’ showed their character and adventures in an even more detailed way.

My family and I have spent many summers hiking in the same region, on the other side of the border (Gran Paradiso, Italy). When I looked back at the images I took all these years, there are many similarities with the images of Hannie and Billo: the focus on the tip of the mountain you’re trying to get closer to, the rivers you encounter, and the first time stepping foot on the snow. We had gone through the same experience, but decades apart. A parallel universe.

Being hermetically involved in this story made me feel like I was with them on this vacation. Mixing their photos with mine creates a new photo album and the story, with the three of us together. Some photos are so similar that they fade the time and borders between us.

* * *

This is just a beginning of a bigger search. I looked for the addresses, names, and family members of Hannie and Billo and found some clues. In the next chapter of this search, I will look for them and go to the exact places they went.

Chapter II- The search

2024

The search continues and travels beyond the imagination. In chapter 2 I restart the investigation after 2 years to find Hannie & Billo, follow their traces and the path the album took to end up in the secondhand store. Starting with the adreses from the postcards, deciphering their words, following up clues left in my city Rotterdam, slowly some questions are being answered. What did their lives look like? What happenend after the album?
The search helps me understand bigger themes in life I’m trying to deal with, such as leaving behind a legacy once you’re gone, conserving memories, the banality of life and researching a history that is not my own.

All leading up to chapter 3, where I will go on the same trip as them to the French Alps, around the same time in our lives; our late 20’s.

Chapter III- The Alps
2024

In this chapter of my search for Hannie & Billo, I finally follow their footsteps into the French Alps.
This long-awaited journey takes me to places I would never have discovered if not for them. The timeless stillness of the mountains is striking, yet the passage of 80 years has left its mark. Snowfields have receded, roads have been carved into the landscape, and a devastating flood has made some of the routes they once hiked inaccessible.

During my visit, I meet with the family of a guide who once assisted Hannie & Billo during their stay. Standing in those same spots, I recreate their images, reflecting on the layers of change and continuity over time. Sometimes even looking back at the spot where they stood, photographing the place that might still hold their presence.

As I frame these photographs, I am struck by the fragility of nature and the stories hidden in the moments in between—the ones they didn’t capture on film. The journey becomes not only a retracing of their steps but also an exploration of memory, transformation, and the quiet resilience of the Alps.

Chapter IV - Meeting the family
2024

I discovered that Hannie’s family had been living just five minutes away from my home in Rotterdam.
Before leaving for the Alps, I wrote them a letter explaining everything about my project. I asked if they would be open to meeting me, as I had so many questions.

While I was in the Alps, I received their response. They warmly invited me to their home, where they shared the things they had kept from Hannie and answered many of my questions with great care. It was a beautiful encounter, one that continues to grow as I visit more family members.

As for what happened with Hannie & Billo, the nature of their relationship, and more—those answers will come when I’ve found the right way to tell their story.