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Jan van IJken
FILMS
Becoming Bird
Planktonium
Becoming
The art of flying
Nevermore
Facing Animals
In Facing Animals we follow the daily lives of pigs, chickens, cows and dogs and see the world from their perspective. They are the protagonists in the film, man is the antagonist. We see men staring at a rooster in its cage, thousands of chickens in a dark shed, a chicken being blow-dried after a bath. With unique access to Dutch factory farms, the stunning visuals take us on a rollercoaster of emotions and makes us question our strange behavior towards animals. Why do we look away from millions of farm animals while pampering and humanizing others?
Waterland
PHOTOGRAPHY
this page gives an overview of projects
Planktonium Photobook
The art of flying
A touch of Divinity
Semana Santa in Sevilla
New Neighbours
Precious Animals
People with disability
Concert Photography
STORE
ABOUT
Jan van IJken (Amersfoort, the Netherlands 1965) has been working as a photographer since 1995. He developed himself as a documentary photographer, specializing in self-initiated personal long-term photo-projects. Characteristic of his way of working is the use of natural light wherever possible and photographing people as natural as possible. This with an eye for detail and composition. He published 3 photobooks: A touch of Divinity – Images of devotion in Eastern Europe (2001) about devotion in Eastern Europe. For this project he photographed pilgrimages, liturgies and other religious rituals in Poland, Rumania, Slowakia and Ukraine from 1997 to 2000. New Neighbours (2004), about the enlargement of the European Union. For this project he photographed the daily life in sister-cities in both Eastern European and Dutch cities. Precious Animals (2005) about the relationship between man and animal in The Netherlands. The project was assigned by the Rijksmuseum and NRC Handelsblad. Filmmaker Since the beginning of 2008, Jan van IJken is developing himself as an independent fillmmaker. At the end of 2008, he finished his first short film Pigs, Pork and Paradise. Now he is working on a documentary about the relationship between man and animal.
CONTACT
mailto:fotojan@xs4all.nl
NEWS
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Written by
Jan van IJken
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More publications on Planktonium
More posts
Premieres Becoming Bird
18/10/2026
Planktonium Live at IDFA Shaping Bonds, Amsterdam 21th March 2026
27/02/2026
Birds exhibition in Mauritshuis, The Hague, NL
13/02/2026
Filming plankton at the North Pole for National Geographic’s Pole to Pole
30/01/2026
