Bruggenbouw in Grobogan 1910 - 1928

This page from a photo album contains silver gelatin prints showing the building of bridges in Grobogan. It’s interesting how photographs can capture a moment in time, but also become objects with their own history and texture. I like how the images are arranged on the page. The way they overlap creates a sense of depth and movement. It’s almost like a collage, with each photo offering a different perspective on the same event. The sepia tones give the images a warm, nostalgic feel, while the texture of the paper adds a tactile quality. Look at the bottom left photo, the group of workers on a rickety looking structure, how precarious and human it feels, the opposite to the solid, dependable, bridge. It reminds me of Rauschenberg and his process of layering images and materials to create new meanings. The arrangement of these photos invites us to consider the relationship between the images and the page, and the way in which they create a sense of narrative and memory. Art is always an ongoing conversation, an exchange of ideas across time.