Resonance and the Photographing of Medieval Architecture
Stuart Richmond (Simon Fraser University, Canada)
Paideusis: Volume 16 (2007), No. 3, pp. 69-82
Abstract
In this essay I aim to convey in text and photographs what it might mean to experience medieval architecture with some degree of connectivity or what Wittgenstein calls, poetically, “resonance.” I provide examples of personal experiences of medieval architecture, and argue for the importance of historical knowledge, sensuous acquaintance, and a sympathetic imagination in gaining a resonant affiliation. Photography, I want to show, is a way of engaging aesthetically with medieval architecture that can, on occasion, lead to the making of images that serve as authentic reminders of the original experience.
Over the course of the past few years I have spent quite a bit of time photographing medieval architecture. I take the medieval period as approximately 1000-1350. This activity offers an opportunity for me to immerse myself in the past, to see things from a different historical and cultural perspective, and to experience aesthetically the remains of a bygone age. Such times as I have had in contemplating medieval architecture have given me pause for thought regarding the tenor of my own life and have provided me with many intrinsically rewarding experiences. While my interests are mainly experiential, I do sometimes exhibit my photographs. Given the depth of the subject and the challenge in engaging with centuries-old art, however, whatever I say here can only be a work in progress.
Stuart Richmond (Simon Fraser University, Canada)
Paideusis: Volume 16 (2007), No. 3, pp. 69-82
Abstract
In this essay I aim to convey in text and photographs what it might mean to experience medieval architecture with some degree of connectivity or what Wittgenstein calls, poetically, “resonance.” I provide examples of personal experiences of medieval architecture, and argue for the importance of historical knowledge, sensuous acquaintance, and a sympathetic imagination in gaining a resonant affiliation. Photography, I want to show, is a way of engaging aesthetically with medieval architecture that can, on occasion, lead to the making of images that serve as authentic reminders of the original experience.
Over the course of the past few years I have spent quite a bit of time photographing medieval architecture. I take the medieval period as approximately 1000-1350. This activity offers an opportunity for me to immerse myself in the past, to see things from a different historical and cultural perspective, and to experience aesthetically the remains of a bygone age. Such times as I have had in contemplating medieval architecture have given me pause for thought regarding the tenor of my own life and have provided me with many intrinsically rewarding experiences. While my interests are mainly experiential, I do sometimes exhibit my photographs. Given the depth of the subject and the challenge in engaging with centuries-old art, however, whatever I say here can only be a work in progress.
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