Hackenberg herself says that she uses video in her exploration of the poetic that can be found, principally in everyday things. With Earth she hopes to take us to a moment of happiness and who is going to say 'no' to such a generous offer? Hackenberg makes herself vulnerable because poetic happiness makes extremely high demands: it can only be transferred by the correct measure of exactly the right metaphors. A little too much of a good thing and it becomes laughable or cloying, but too little produces no effect at all. Swelling violins and romantic vistas with a setting sun can only be used for satire or kitsch. She is therefore walking on thin ice. Hackenberg limits herself to breakers, open fires and horses, peaceful images that arise within her while she’s at home reading a book. Colourful flowers and chirping crickets must point to an experience of 'satori' (enlightenment), but Earth can unfortunately be no more than a brave effort to help us to experience something like that, however austere. Perhaps she would have been more successful if she had not tried to be so pure and had not started from an abstract point of view.
– Lies Holtrop
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