Gezicht op vernietigde brug over de Vetrivier in Zuid-Afrika met op de achtergrond een aantal gebouwen 1901

Here’s a stereograph showing a ruined bridge, probably made with a bulky camera, sometime in the past. I think of the person who made this photograph looking through the lens, trying to find the right angle to capture the scene, and I feel a connection to the artist. The scene is a desolate landscape, with the destroyed bridge as the central focal point. I imagine the photographer, documenting the destruction wrought by conflict, aware of the historical significance of the moment. The cool brown hues create a sense of melancholy. The photographer has captured something that is lost and I wonder what the future holds. The way the light falls on the bridge makes me think of the work of other photographers like Eugène Atget and his documentation of a changing Paris. The artist captures a moment in time, preserving it for future generations. It’s a reminder that all artists are in conversation with one another. The artist gives us a space for reflection and contemplation.