Hoek van een tuin c. 1865 - 1900

Editor: This photograph, "Hoek van een tuin," or "Corner of a Garden," by Laurens Lodewijk Kleijn, was taken sometime between 1865 and 1900. The tones are incredibly soft, and it feels very much like a glimpse into a secret garden, but what strikes me most is the intense blurring, it’s hardly readable! How do you see it? Curator: The blurring is precisely what I find interesting! Early photography involved complex chemical processes and specific manipulations in the darkroom, making it both science and labor. Editor: So you're less interested in the image itself and more in… the making of it? Curator: Absolutely. Look closely. The blurred effects weren't necessarily accidental. Consider what the photographer wanted to highlight, perhaps focusing our attention on the act of image-making rather than some perfect depiction of nature. It's not just about a garden, it's about how we manufacture our perceptions of that space, what materials, and work goes into fixing that idea, especially as the industrial age boomed all around. Editor: So it’s a comment on manufactured landscapes and industry? The blurry image makes us focus on the photographic technology instead? Curator: Exactly. Early photography was expensive and time-consuming, yet people embraced it, driving both demand and production. Looking at Kleijn's technique allows us to examine what labour and process are involved in the context of the rise of modernity. What we're left with, materially, is really interesting to consider. Editor: I hadn’t thought about it that way, viewing the blurred photograph itself as a type of artifact and not just a representational image. That shifts the meaning quite a bit for me. Curator: Indeed, examining the material aspects often unveils the cultural narratives embedded within.