Ruïne van een gebouw in Rotterdam c. 1940 - 1945

Curator: Well, here we have what appears to be a gelatin silver print from circa 1940 to 1945, titled "Ruïne van een gebouw in Rotterdam," or "Ruin of a Building in Rotterdam," by J. Nolte. And wow, what a photograph. Editor: My first thought is devastation. There's something chilling about seeing that once-grand façade so fractured. It makes you wonder about all the lost lives and disrupted histories hidden within those crumbling walls. Curator: It really is haunting, isn't it? The artist has this knack for capturing not just the physical wreckage, but also the… lingering echo of its past self. Editor: Exactly. Look at the parking sign amidst the rubble. The banal juxtaposition of bureaucracy and ruin is a powerful statement about the absurdities of war and how systems persist, even when everything else crumbles. This wasn't just bricks and mortar. Curator: I can't help but think about Nolte's perspective too. The act of photographing, of framing this ruin...it’s almost a defiant act, right? Claiming a moment from utter destruction, marking it with witness. Editor: Absolutely, it's a political act. Photography as documentation, but also as resistance. A challenge to collective amnesia, ensuring that this history, and histories like it, aren't conveniently forgotten. Curator: Makes me think about the long tail of trauma after violent conflict, whether we can ever fully "rebuild" when the very foundation is riddled with sorrow. Editor: Precisely, this image demands we ask not just how do we rebuild buildings, but how do we rebuild lives, communities, and collective trust after immense trauma. Curator: It’s a potent reminder of the ephemerality of things we consider permanent. Makes me want to look at my own life and what I take for granted. Editor: Yes, and consider who bears the brunt of such devastation. Whose stories get erased and whose resilience is ignored in these historical narratives. Curator: Profound thoughts to take away from a photograph, indeed. Editor: To keep alive histories, so our present is a product of informed choices.