Gezin Furnée bij Lyon Possibly 1928 - 1930

This page of photographs was made by Carolina Onnen; it’s a personal document, a family record that seems to freeze time even though time is the very stuff of photographs. What strikes me is the texture of the album page itself, the way it’s marked, stained and written on, which is interesting when placed with the crispness of the photos, documenting family members relaxing by the water. Look at the picture in the bottom right, of the figure lying on the dock. The light there is so palpable and you can almost feel the heat radiating from the wood. I’m reminded of Ed Ruscha’s photograph books, in that the images are like objective records, but the way they’re assembled and the choices of what to include, are what gives the work its meaning. It’s like a constellation of memories, pointing to something beyond the single image.