Ondergelopen straat met dammen en een kruiwagen 1910 - 1911

Curator: The monochrome image before us, titled "Ondergelopen straat met dammen en een kruiwagen," translating to "Flooded street with dams and a wheelbarrow," was captured by G. Dangereux between 1910 and 1911. Editor: My first thought? Somber. The grays and browns create this heavy atmosphere. The light barely pierces through, emphasizing the waterlogged street and the almost ghostly buildings. It feels… weighted by its time. Curator: The symbolism here is potent. Water often represents cleansing or chaos. But, within this urban setting, its disruption to the normal flow of life is more compelling. Note how the temporary dams barely hold it back. Editor: Those makeshift dams! And that single wheelbarrow near the bottom right – its inclusion speaks volumes about labor, about the relentless, almost Sisyphean effort to manage and contain this… deluge. The means of survival, caught in the mess. Curator: Precisely! It's not just about standing water; the flooded street transforms the familiar cityscape into a reflection of the subconscious, an almost dream-like experience with everyday objects, burdened by the flood water that turns into surreal obstacles. Editor: And think about the photographic process at the time! The effort to capture this moment, the materials involved – the glass plate negatives, the chemicals… It wasn't instantaneous. The very act of creating this image became a sort of physical act to resist ephemerality and record labor, in and of itself! Curator: Interesting to consider the idea that the architecture reflected on the water symbolizes not only how to overcome natural elements to keep urban life in constant movement but also the potential challenges that technological progress poses to people at different social levels. Editor: True, that relationship with modernity, the very real work to survive in difficult circumstances, is literally submerged here. Even the print, so subtly sepia, reflects a weariness that speaks across the decades. Curator: Indeed. Dangereux captured more than just a flooded street; he documented resilience. Editor: And reminds us how tangible struggles endure through symbolic traces and materiality.