THE BEAUTIFUL MEMORIES OF BUILDINGS LONG FORGOTTEN NOW
SVEN FENNEMA
Memories are often tied to places. We remember where we were when something important or meaningful happened. And places, particularly buildings, hold a collective memory -- an accumulation of many lives lived within their walls.
German photographer Sven Fennema is obsessed with the memories of abandoned buildings, as well as the beauty that remains within them.
“Lost Places” is a collection 360-degree panoramas of forgotten places that Fennema discovered throughout Europe. Once formidable ballrooms, cemeteries, chapels, or asylums, still stand stoically, bearing the brunt of time with grace, even as they begin to succumb.
Many of these photos look up towards the ceilings of these structures, which often have a central point, from which ornate architectural features radiate. They have a kaleidoscopic feel, as each small segment of the circular form repeats the pattern.
Fennema takes a succession of images, sweeping around the central pivot, in full circle. He then assembles the individual images, using an aggregator to create a single picture, encompassing 360 degrees horizontally and 180 degrees vertically.
“Rise and Fall” is a series of Fennema’s portraits of beautiful forgotten old villa stairways. They show off multilayered patinas, as each evokes memories of footsteps laid down, as if still heard, in layers of time, unfolding.
Fennema’s images are so vivid, even as memories fade.
Fennema’s “Elemental” series shows memories erased and replaced by nature. As soon as humans let down their guard, cobwebs form, weeds poke through, and vines begin to entangle. If left to their own devices, they will prevail, ultimately consuming whatever humans have built.
Nature remembers that she used to inhabit the spaces upon which the buildings sit. And she won’t rest until she reclaims those spaces again.
What remains are memories of glorious times, fragments of once stunning decoration, and the bones of the opulent mansions featured in the “Habitat” series. Fennema’s atmospheric images draw you into their surreal mysteries.
To find these memory palaces, Fennema pores through scores of archives and satellite maps. He travels extensively, scouting out each location to search for the most beautiful architecture in the most compelling state of balance, between past glory and current decay.
Fennema uses a fixed tripod, shooting multiple bracketed exposures of each scene. He later combines the shots digitally.
The nature of Fennema’s own memory is revealed in his photos. He favors strong colors. He plays with a range of lighting moods and the warp of extreme perspectives. To see more, visit Fennema’swebsite and check out his two recent books, Tales of Yesteryear and Nostalgia.
Read more about Beautiful Memories, as it relates to Arts/Design, Nature/Science, Food/Drink, Place/Time, Mind/Body, and Soul/Impact including 10 New Books Explore the Beauty of Memories Now, The Beauty of Light’s Memories Now, Beautiful Chocolate, Wine, and Beer Recipes to Boost Your Memory Now! and Capturing Precious Memories as Art Now.
