For ten years, abandoned and dilapidated buildings have acted like a magnet for father and daughter Maarten and Billie Slagboom. Once inside, it initially appears as though time has stood still, but nothing could be further from the truth. What they witness is nature—in the form of ferns, fungi, algae, and mosses—reclaiming its space within a purely human-made environment. Through their photographs, the duo captures how everything we spend a lifetime trying to control merges back into the greater whole, and how reason and efficiency surrender to the randomness and mystery of nature. The new life breathed into the building in this way is as exhilarating as it is reassuring.
Apart from their photographic work, Maarten Slagboom (b. 1970) works as a final editor for VPRO Broadcasting, and Billie Slagboom (b. 2001) as a journalist whose work includes contributions to Het Financieele Dagblad. In addition to three volumes of Only time lives here (Hier woont alleen de tijd in Dutch), they also co-authored the book Sleutelscènes (Key Scenes), a pilgrimage to classic film locations. An international edition of Only time lives here will be released in 2027.
Maarten Slagboom 