Restauratie van de kapel in het zuidtransept van de Onze-Lieve-Vrouwebasiliek te Maastricht c. 1890 - 1915

Here's a small, sepia-toned photo of the Basilica, in Maastricht. It's by an anonymous photographer working for Monumentenzorg. It's an image documenting the restoration work underway, probably sometime in the early to mid-20th century. Look at the way the scaffolding dominates the space, creating this web of lines that almost obscures the figures standing inside. I am curious about the photographer, positioning themselves amidst the chaos, trying to capture a moment of repair and renewal. You can see a long crack zigzagging across the walls. I imagine they are thinking about what's been lost, what's being preserved, and what the future of this space might be. The graininess adds to a feeling of time, it's textural, tactile even. It reminds me that artists, like restorers, are always in conversation with the past, building upon what came before, and leaving their own mark for future generations to interpret.