Borobudur (Boroboedoer), nabij Magelang, Nederlands-Indië c. 1895 - 1915

Editor: This photograph, taken between 1895 and 1915 by Otto Hisgen, shows Borobudur in Java, Indonesia. It’s a gelatin-silver print, giving it this stark, almost ghostly quality. What do you make of it? Curator: It’s fascinating to consider this image through the lens of its historical context. This photograph exists as Dutch colonial power in Indonesia was consolidating. The "discovery" and subsequent restoration efforts of Borobudur were, in many ways, intertwined with that colonial project. Editor: So, this image isn't just a neutral documentation of the site? Curator: Precisely. Photography itself became a tool for the colonial administration. Think about it: this image, taken by a European, is circulated back to Europe, shaping the Western perception of this Southeast Asian monument. How does the framing itself, this sort of distanced perspective, influence that perception, do you think? Editor: I see your point. It creates a sense of the monument as something to be observed, almost possessed, from afar, rather than something to be experienced. Curator: Exactly. And we need to ask ourselves: what narratives were being constructed, and for whom? This image, seemingly objective, played a part in the colonial gaze. What did you notice when you first viewed it? Editor: It looks like there are few people. It seems remote and lonely to me. This made the monument stand out more. I see that now in a new light. Curator: Exactly, this adds another layer to consider about how the cultural institutions were shaped by colonial projects in that era. I find it amazing to delve deeper.