Oudezijds Achterburgwal, Amsterdam 1900 - 1902

This stereoscopic image of Oudezijds Achterburgwal in Amsterdam offers two takes on the same view, inviting us to see the scene in three dimensions, but for me, it’s more interesting to consider what is flattened or augmented by this method of seeing. The brown tones of the photograph wrap the scene in a unified atmosphere, flattening the tonal range of the image, as our eyes are drawn along the waterway, with each branch creating a dialogue between form and reflection. Look at how the clarity of the water invites a back-and-forth between the world and its mirror image, the solid and the spectral. Is this photographic technique like memory itself, a way of taking in two separate images and making them appear as a continuous whole? The use of stereoscopy reminds me of David Hockney’s photographic collages where he combined multiple viewpoints into a single image. Both explore how we perceive and construct our understanding of space and time. Ultimately, art isn't about arriving at one true depiction, but about embracing the multiple ways we see and experience the world.