Dutch photographer Bert Teunissen has been engaged on his project of picturing domestic interiors since 1997, and by now has a considerable archive. He only uses natural light, so the whole enterprise captures a certain domestic ambience that feels timeless but is in truth gradually disappearing with changes in architectural style and living arrangements. It's what you might call - in the spirit of La France Profonde - "deep Europe". As he puts it:
‘The inhabitants of the houses I seek and photograph, still know how something should taste, how it has to be made; they understand the importance of time and ripening, they know the meaning and value of repetition – daily – yearly... Their houses and ways of life are fading out of our societies, forever, together with their knowledge. It is my aim to capture this, wherever I can find it, before it disappears completely.’
There's also a clear nod in the direction of the great Dutch masters of the domestic interior like Vermeer and de Hooch. Here's Geetbets, Belgium:
He started in Western Europe, visiting the UK in 2005:
And Spain in the same year:
He then headed East to Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Bulgaria and now, this year, he's added the Balkans and, last month, Romania:
There was a limited edition monograph published in 2007, covering Western European only, but it's now out of print. He was also on display at The Photographers' Gallery round the same time: as far as I'm aware his only UK exhibition.
He's not finished yet. Next year, if he can get the funding, he's off to Ukraine and Russia.
Wonderful photos, and a great idea for a project. Thanks for posting the link.
Posted by: Richard Carter | November 28, 2010 at 04:58 PM