School

In the period 2002-2009 Wouda has photographed numerous secondary schools in the Netherlands, both in the provinces and the Randstad conurbation. He consciously avoids photographing in classes and focuses instead on places in which pupils relax between lessons and are able to be themselves. During breaks these areas rapidly fill up with dozens of pupils. Wouda depicts these clusters of young people from high vantage points: he places a camera on a tripod high on a ladder and remains on the ground where he takes pictures by remote control at specific moments. These pictures show groups of pupils huddled together and throw contemporary Dutch youth in a completely new light. Interaction between individuals, formation of groups, clothing and hairstyles: everything is captured in a single picture. Apart from providing a unique snapshot of a particular period, the series offers a sociological survey of young Holland in a modern variation on the traditional Dutch militia corps portrait.