Noordzijde van de Sint-Laurentiuskerk te Dieden 1906

This is an old photograph of the north side of the Sint-Laurentiuskerk in Dieden. It was made by someone at Monumentenzorg, which means 'monument care', a service that looks after old buildings. It's a humble image, right? But look how the light grazes the brickwork, revealing every little bump and imperfection. It’s all about the surface. You can almost feel the rough texture of those bricks, the way the mortar crumbles in places. And notice how the window almost disappears, a ghost in the wall. What I love is how the artist doesn’t try to hide the wear and tear, the marks of time. There's an honesty there, a willingness to embrace the imperfect, the unfinished. It reminds me of the work of Bernd and Hilla Becher, who documented industrial structures with such a loving eye. Both show us the beauty in the mundane, the poetry in the everyday. This photograph isn’t trying to be slick or polished. It’s just here, quietly bearing witness.