De Bijenkorf 1940

Editor: This is "De Bijenkorf," a collage including photographs from 1940 by Alie Rondberg-Vrauwdüeunt. It evokes such a strong feeling of… loss, somehow. These images of the bombed cityscape assembled on the page feel almost like fragmented memories. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Yes, "loss" is precisely the right word. Rondberg-Vrauwdüeunt's collage speaks volumes about the psychological impact of war through visual symbols. Notice the stark contrast between the relatively intact image of De Bijenkorf department store and the surrounding devastation. Do you see how that juxtaposition functions? Editor: I think so… It emphasizes the vulnerability of even the most solid structures. The store stands, but its context has been utterly destroyed. It is such a surreal contrast between normal and totally ruined. Curator: Precisely. De Bijenkorf itself becomes a symbol – perhaps of resilience, or perhaps of a past that can never truly be recovered. The placement of the photographs, almost scattered across the page, reinforces that sense of fractured memory and disrupted continuity. Do you see a sense of chaos? Editor: Yes, like these pictures of broken buildings might symbolize how the world felt at that moment in time. There is order in the creation of the collage as such. Curator: That is quite insightful: within the aesthetic frame, it contains this historical trauma. In its meta-level as "collage" one might see a claim to creating an order after destruction? These symbols trigger deep emotional responses tied to cultural memory, a powerful statement on war's enduring consequences. Editor: That makes me see the photograph as not just a snapshot of destruction but as a conscious attempt to assemble these symbols of cultural memory. Thank you! Curator: My pleasure! It's a piece that resonates on many levels; the symbols and their effect become more poignant with each viewing.