Excursie van de Chung Hsiok naar Pengalengan c. 1935 - 1936

This photograph, “Excursie van de Chung Hsiok naar Pengalengan,” is by an anonymous artist and it's hard to know when exactly it was made or even why. Maybe as a personal memento, or perhaps a commission? What I see is a collection of small black and white photographs mounted in a brown, maybe even mustard, colored album. It’s like a sketchbook, where images are collected over time. The photographs capture scenes from an excursion, showing people gathered, maybe celebrating, and landscapes, hinting at the journey. I imagine the photographer carefully composing each shot, waiting for the right moment to capture the essence of the scene. The choice of black and white adds a timeless quality, stripping away the distractions of color to focus on form, light, and shadow. And the act of assembling the album – the juxtaposition of images, the handwritten captions – adds another layer of meaning. This work reminds me of the importance of documentation and personal narrative.