Gezicht op de Groote Kerk van Galle, Sri Lanka before 1899

Curator: Let's see… I see an old photograph here. Albumen print, I’d guess, from sometime before 1899, tucked within the pages of what seems to be a travel journal. It’s a photograph titled “Gezicht op de Groote Kerk van Galle, Sri Lanka," which translates to "View of the Great Church of Galle, Sri Lanka". And it's signed by E. Castelein. There's something captivating about these colonial-era photographs, a strange mix of the exotic and the familiar. Editor: Absolutely. There’s almost a postcard-like quality to it. The architecture feels very European but framed by all that dense, tropical foliage. It strikes me as this quiet, almost melancholy image, as if capturing a place caught between two worlds. What particularly draws your eye? Curator: That's perceptive of you! You picked up on that in-betweenness I felt as well. My eye keeps jumping from the imposing architecture to the almost unruly vegetation. What stories lie hidden there? I wonder what the locals made of it all... Do you think the photographer saw themselves as an observer or participant in all of this? And what about the act of photographing this location…who do you think it was for? The colonizer or colonized? Editor: I hadn't considered the layers of perspective. It's fascinating to think about the power dynamic inherent in creating and consuming an image like this at that time. And now, here we are looking at it again through yet another lens. Curator: Exactly! Time gives us distance, perhaps even wisdom, to unravel some of these knots. That is the pleasure, isn't it? What story will future generations weave when looking at us? Editor: That's something to ponder. I will certainly consider perspective a bit more now. Curator: Wonderful! Remember to always keep asking questions. And keep that curiosity ablaze!