Noordgevel van Kasteel Doornenburg 1903

This photograph, of the North facade of Doornenburg Castle, was made by an unknown photographer, probably during the restoration work. It’s interesting to see how the surface of the image is not smooth, it's granular, and full of imperfections, like the castle itself. This quality adds to the ghostly feel of the picture. The steps leading to the castle appear to be solid, but on closer inspection, the way they are photographed makes them almost disappear into the ground. I am drawn to the boarded-up windows and partially broken roof line which, to me, suggests the precariousness of even the most solid and permanent structures. The missing chunks of the exterior walls remind me of brushstrokes, or maybe erasures. The process of image making here is akin to both building up and taking away, much like the process of restoration taking place at the castle itself. Perhaps this photographer knew a thing or two about the great Eugène Atget and his melancholic views of Paris! Atget also saw photography as a tool for documenting and preserving aspects of a city undergoing rapid transformation. Ultimately, both artists remind us that art is an act of preservation and a form of remembering.