Tempels van de Heiligen der Laatste Dagen, Salt Lake City 1924 - 1926

This stereoscopic image of the Mormon Temple in Salt Lake City, probably made with a simple camera around the turn of the century, looks back at us with a beguiling palette of sepias and creams. The subtle variations in tone suggest the light and atmosphere of the location, whilst conveying a sense of the time that has passed since it was made. The image has been carefully composed, the central temple balanced by lower buildings and the texture of trees, against the mountainous horizon. The flat matte surface and soft focus give it an otherworldly feel. It makes me think about the way we choose to frame the world, and about photography as a way of constructing a specific point of view. I’m reminded of the work of Eugène Atget, a French photographer documenting Parisian architecture around the same time. Like Atget, Holmes shares an interest in the way the camera records history, whilst also creating something new. These artists remind us that art can embrace ambiguity, and that there’s always more than one way of seeing the world.