Through the Photographer’s LensThrough the Photographer’s Lens

A kaleidoscopic evening of architectural photography taking the State Archive of Dutch Architecture and Urban Planning as its starting point. Contributions by photographer Frank van der Salm, architect Jan Benthem, author Sanneke van Hassel, conservator Ellen Smit, and restorer Erica Jonkman.

Het Nieuwe Instituut is currently in the middle of a major conservation project to digitise the entire photographic archive, which contains around 300,000 photographs. The State Archive's pictures are on a range of formats - prints, slides and reproductions. Not only do they contain a wealth of information, they also touch on the architects' personal spheres; from inspirational snapshots and polaroids of the building process, to slick PR pics, portraits (at the drawing table, on research trips, on site, in meetings) and mysterious stills - samples from a wide ranges of eras. Some of the photographs were taken by the architects themselves, such as those Carel Weeber took in China, while others were taken by renowned, professional architecture photographers, like Jan Kamman, Eva Besnyö and Bernard F. Eilers.

The multifaceted and surprising world of architecture photography takes centre stage in this edition of Archive Explorations. Photographer Frank van der Salm will talk about his views on photography and the understanding between photographer and architect. Conservator Ellen Smit and restorer Erica de Jong will present a selection of images and speculate with author Sanneke van Hassel about the stories behind the photographs. The evening will be moderated by Flora van Gaalen (Het Nieuwe Instituut).

Photographer Frank van der Salm photographs urban landscapes. His early work was visibly influenced by New Topographics. Over the years his work has evolved to produce a varied body of work that investigates the complexity of the contemporary metropolis. In recent years his attention has shifted to explore economic centres in Asia. Alongside his own work, he is also regularly commissioned by such architects as OMA, Herzog & de Meuron, and MVRDV

Sanneke van Hassel is a Rotterdam author. She was winner of the BNG Prize for Literature for her collections of short stories IJsregen (Ice Rain, 2005) and Witte veder (White Feather, 2007) in the under-forty category. Her book of stories inspired by photographs of Rotterdam, Ik blijf hier, was published in 2014, while her novel Stille grond (Quiet Ground) will be published at the end of August 2017. Set in the present, the novel tells the story of a group of Rotterdam residents who battle for a scrappy piece of ground next to a railway line.

Together with Mels Crouwel Jan Benthem is founder of Benthem Crouwel Architects. Benthem has extensive experience as a lead architect of design teams in infrastructure and complex urban projects such as the North/South Line in Amsterdam (metro) and the renewal of the public transport terminals Amsterdam Central, Rotterdam Central, Utrecht Central and The Hague Central Station. Since 1988 he has been the chief architect of the Schiphol Airport.

Ellen Smit is an architecture historian and conservator in the Heritage Department at Het Nieuwe Instituut. She specialises in 20th-century architecture and urban design.

Erica Jonkman is an art historian and restorer. She is collection manager at Het Nieuwe Instituut and project manager for the photographic conservation project that was launched in 2016.

Containing the collections of some of the most important architects and urban planners in the Netherlands, the State Archive for Architecture and Urban Planning provides an insight into the development of Dutch architecture and society over the past 130 years. Each item in the collection of four million drawings, sketches, models, professional and personal correspondence, photographs, posters and news clippings has a story to tell. But many of these stories have remained untold because nobody has yet uncovered them. For the series of evenings entitled Archive Explorations we have invited a range of people to go on a journey of discovery through the archive to uncover new perspectives.

Before Thursday Night Live! you can grab a bite to eat with the speakers and staff of Het Nieuwe Instituut. At 18:30 Het Nieuwe Café will serve soup with bread or a quiche with salad. Dinner vouchers are available for ¬ 7,50 up to a day before the particular Thursday Night event via the Tickets link or at the bar this evening.