Gebouw met bron in Caïro c. 1870 - 1898

Editor: This is "Gebouw met bron in Caïro" – or "Building with fountain in Cairo"– a photograph from sometime between 1870 and 1898, attributed to Maison Bonfils. It's striking how the intricate architectural details contrast with the seemingly empty public square. What’s your take on this photograph? Curator: The photograph exists as both art and documentation, emerging within the broader context of Orientalism. How might the photographer's gaze, likely European, shape our understanding of this architectural space and its inhabitants – or their conspicuous absence? Editor: That's a really good point, I hadn't considered that the scene may have been deliberately set to look so vacant. Curator: Exactly. Consider the power dynamics at play. The act of photographing, of capturing and presenting this image to a Western audience, reinforces existing colonial structures. How does this representation cater to Western fantasies about the "exotic" East? What stories does it omit, or perhaps misrepresent? The building is obviously very intricate and beautiful, but what are the circumstances surrounding its existence, its function, and the people who built it and used it? These are vital questions to consider. Editor: So it's about looking beyond the purely aesthetic qualities, and thinking critically about the historical and social context of the image itself and who is doing the looking? Curator: Precisely. The beauty of the architecture cannot be separated from the circumstances of the building being recorded and sold as a photographic print. We have to engage in a critical dialogue with this imagery and what it represents to fully understand its complexity and significance. Editor: Thanks. This really changed the way I look at the photograph. Curator: Indeed. Hopefully the photograph now raises new questions and a deeper investigation, too.