The Soft Atlas of the Netherlands

Although you wouldn't think so at first glance, the works of documentary artist Jan Rothuizen are inextricably linked to the DocLab theme of interactive storytelling. Like the other projects in the DocLab program, Rothuizen maps the world in a way that is not easy to define. His drawn realities are personal but not fictitious, sometimes journalistic but more often documentary, and always surprising. He describes his way of working as a form of echolocation - his presence has an impact on his environment, but the surroundings change him as well. He visits cities, neighborhoods, squares and houses in Holland, and as he walks around he jots down what he sees, thinks and feels. These locations range from the IKEA showroom and AMsterdam's Red Light District to the bedroom of a young soldier killed in Afghanistan and a detention center for illegal immigrants at Schiphol Airport. How do others look at Rothuizen's reality? On November 17, IDFA DocLab opens with the premiere of Rothuizen's latest book, , including live performances by photographer and writer Hans Aarsman and writer Dirk van Weelden.