Tracing a walk of Sigurd Lewerenz
Photography is a media form that can transcend time and bring us the knowledge. It is not only visible information though – a photograph records the feelings of the space, and thoughts and memories behind it.
I made my way to the quiet countryside of Stockholm, an island called Djurgarden where Swedish architect Sigurd Lewerentz designed a rowing boathouse club for 1912 Olympic Games. Before embarking on this trip, I did a lot of reading about this boathouse but I couldn't understand or feel the architect's thoughts and memories behind this project.
One early freezing cold morning, I was walking around the boathouse, trying to grasp the thoughts of what Lewerentz was thinking when he was designing this place. To take a break I went inside and ordered a cup of coffee. When I looked out of the window, there was an old couple enjoying fishing. That was the moment when I felt connected to the emotions that Sigurd Lewerentz might have felt when he was here, imagining the structure of the building that would suit this local landscape. To record this (possible) memory of his, I rushed to take a photo of this moment so I could capture the atmosphere.
Although it has been quite some time since I took the photo at the boathouse, I still can recall the atmosphere of the time which I believe I saw what Lewerentz thought in his mind.
An action of taking a photo can become a shared emotional memory with others.
