Dutch Boats

Abstract

It began with a painting, a painting of a boat with waves that rolled off the canvas and over my body and carried me backwards in time. I washed ashore on the riverbanks of a small town in 1840s Netherlands, where one painting became the story of a young Dutchman named Willem. As he prepares for a trip across the continent, Willem reflects on his relationship with his childhood sweetheart. These memories are brought on by his interactions with the world around him, a world alive with beauty and constant, inevitable change. A tale of hesitation and heartache, “Dutch Boats” explores how reflecting on our environments can inspire both joy and suffering and how our interactions, with ourselves and with others, are affected by these moments of quiet.