If you have ever witnessed an instance of Oranjekoorts (Orange fever) in the Netherlands, you could be forgiven that this country’s citizens are obsessed with one color above all others. Tangerine tones take over many national celebrations, orange being the traditional color of the Dutch royal family.
However, local photographer Dirk Bakker is out to prove this country is far from monochromatic when it comes to architecture. His wildly popular Instagram page documents gloriously colorful façades from around the country, presenting each elevation as a canvas reminiscent of abstract artworks by Mondrian, van der Leck or Huszár.
Speaking on Instagramers.com, Bakker elaborated on his cross-disciplinary background and subsequent influences: “Having a history in graphic design made me love the ‘lines of the city’; I see a big connection between architecture and graphic design. Its about shapes, form, layout and patterns as well as constructing things, putting things together.”
Having posted his first image on Instagram as @macenzo only five years ago, the photographer’s success on the platform has exponentially grown: Bakker’s page now boasts 356,000 followers, and he is fast approaching 2,000 posts. The photographer’s internet fame further backs up Architizer founder Marc Kushner’s belief that social media is “fomenting the biggest revolution in architecture since the invention of steel, concrete and the elevator.”
In a country defined by some of the world’s boldest architecture firms, including OMA, MVRDV andUNStudio, it is perhaps no surprise that the cityscapes of the Netherlands are punctuated with such vibrant hues. However, Bakker’s photography — beautifully collated in the gridded format of Instagram — emphasizes the bold personality of Dutch architecture in an unprecedented manner.