Tempel Mendoet (na de restauratie), ten zuiden van Magelang, Nederlands-Indië c. 1895 - 1915

This is a black and white photograph by Onnes Kurkdjian, "Tempel Mendoet (na de restauratie), ten zuiden van Magelang, Nederlands-Indië". I can imagine him carefully composing this shot. The temple looms like a huge geometric puzzle. You can see the restoration efforts—the way the blocks fit, or don’t quite fit, together. I wonder, what was it like to stand there, in that heat, dust, and light? The temple's structure feels both solid and permeable, its surface textured with time and human touch. The steps leading up invite you to climb, to participate in its history. Think about the kind of exchange that happens when you restore something! The photograph itself is another layer, isn't it? It's Kurkdjian's way of seeing, interpreting, and preserving this moment, this place. His photograph becomes a kind of restoration in itself, a conversation between the past and the present, mediated through his lens.