\'between a state of desertion and overpopulation\' (2005) by Liesbeth Decan (english)
With the publication of this first monograph, two texts were commissioned to Martijn Verhoeven (NL), independant curator, and Liesbeth Decan (B), arthistorian Leuven University. This essay by Liesbeth Decan is reflecting on the photoworks appearing in the monograph frank van der salm in 2005.
'...As Steven Jacobs amply explains in his book ‘Horror Vacui: Photography and the Deserted City’ the strategy of the void is a Leitmotif in the history of urban and architectural photography. This motif, often applied for the sake of clarity and legibility of the image, finds its precursors in the città ideale of Renaissance and Modernist urban designs, in which a perfect order throws overboard all details that are not strictly necessary. Initially still a result of the technical limitations of the medium, namely the long exposure times, the empty cityscape – so it seems – increasingly became a deliberate choice. It is remarkable that Frank Van der Salm uses precisely those technical ‘limitations’ from the pioneering days of photography in order to achieve a specific aesthetic, a specific way of dealing with reality. Emptiness becomes a photographic strategy...'.
To read the whole essay, download the pdf.
With the publication of this first monograph, two texts were commissioned to Martijn Verhoeven (NL), independant curator, and Liesbeth Decan (B), arthistorian Leuven University. This essay by Liesbeth Decan is reflecting on the photoworks appearing in the monograph frank van der salm in 2005.
'...As Steven Jacobs amply explains in his book ‘Horror Vacui: Photography and the Deserted City’ the strategy of the void is a Leitmotif in the history of urban and architectural photography. This motif, often applied for the sake of clarity and legibility of the image, finds its precursors in the città ideale of Renaissance and Modernist urban designs, in which a perfect order throws overboard all details that are not strictly necessary. Initially still a result of the technical limitations of the medium, namely the long exposure times, the empty cityscape – so it seems – increasingly became a deliberate choice. It is remarkable that Frank Van der Salm uses precisely those technical ‘limitations’ from the pioneering days of photography in order to achieve a specific aesthetic, a specific way of dealing with reality. Emptiness becomes a photographic strategy...'.
To read the whole essay, download the pdf.
