Fotoalbum van een vakantie in Sorrento van Norbert van den Berg, 1954 1954

Curator: Oh, this just radiates nostalgia, doesn’t it? Editor: Absolutely. At first glance, it feels very tactile – like I should reach out and touch it. The color's so rich, almost… blood orange. What exactly are we looking at? Curator: This is a photograph titled “Fotoalbum van een vakantie in Sorrento van Norbert van den Berg, 1954” – an image, in fact, of the cover of a holiday photo album made by Norbert van den Berg back in ‘54. Editor: Ah, a portal to sun-drenched Italian memories! The texture looks less like leather than I thought. There's something about the patterns embossed upon it, almost fractal… reminiscent of nature. It's like he has brought elements of stone or even textile within. Curator: Interesting point! Think about Sorrento itself, this very romantic, almost cinematic coastal town... Then you look at this cover - seemingly straightforward but holding memories, encapsulating the essence of the holiday – and it speaks volumes. The way our mind works with associations –the color perhaps signifies passion, but maybe also sun and earth. Editor: There’s an echo of cultural memory here too, in that red hue—red book covers have always connoted something precious, archived, held with reverence and caution. Think family Bibles and treasured ledgers. Curator: Exactly. It's less about the "what" is photographed and more about what the photograph *does*. It invites you to imagine the stories within, the warmth of that trip to Sorrento, the feeling of holding it, smelling its age – all triggering personal nostalgia even if you were never there! A photograph evoking memories through textures, materiality and color play... Van den Berg masterfully tapped into collective and personal longings! Editor: So true. It has these layered meanings and textures within—all those associations. It captures the essence of remembering in a visual way. Almost like visual synesthesia—you don't just see it, you *feel* it. Curator: Precisely. Now I’m craving gelato and sun-drenched coastlines. This little photograph sure packs a punch. Editor: Agreed! It's a beautifully rendered echo, proving a picture really *is* worth a thousand untold stories.