Esteban de Viguera, August 18, 1992, 9:05 - 11:05 a.m. 1992

Ursula Schulz-Dornburg made this photograph, Esteban de Viguera, on August 18, 1992, between 9:05 and 11:05 in the morning. Look at that shaft of light cutting through the darkness; it’s almost a gesture of hope, or at least, a marker of time. I wonder what it was like to be Schulz-Dornburg, setting up her camera in that dim, quiet space. The commitment to film photography requires a certain amount of faith that the image will eventually reveal itself. The stark contrast between light and shadow emphasizes the rough texture of the walls, the simple geometry of the architecture. It’s like she’s not just recording a space, but also how light transforms it, gives it a new story. This photograph reminds me of the work of other artists interested in light like James Turrell or Gordon Matta-Clark. There is a conversation across time between artists who explore the poetics of space and light. There is beauty in ambiguity, a reminder that our perceptions are always shifting, always open to new interpretations.