Space-time windows

In this photo project, I explore the ideas of time, perception and subjectivity. Looking through original glass windows of historical chateaux of the Loire Valley I was fascinated how the same glass at the same place slowly traveled through centuries while serving its function. I wondered how thousands of eyes looked through these windows and what they saw behind them: the same yet altering landscapes, people long gone, wearing constantly changing fashions, the endless circle of seasons. Glass is fragile material, yet here it appears as an anchor of continuity and a receptacle of time itself. As a medium for viewing, antique glass also represents a “time filter”. It preserves (and makes available for us) the way the same viewing spot had been experienced through the centuries. While landscapes and events witnessed by a window inevitably change over time, antique glass suggests continuity of specific visual perception. Molded glass has inherent flaws and air bubbles in it causing distortion of the picture. This makes an excellent metaphor for subjectivity, when our personal experiences and stereotypes form an imperfect “filter” for interpreting the outside world. At the same time, these inaccurate subjective renderings may have poetic charm due to their uniqueness. In art, window has symbolism of its own. It is often a metaphor for a threshold between the inner and the outside space, an opening into another side of reality, sometimes in metaphysical sense. It can represent communication, surveillance and domination. All these meanings add up to the nostalgic journey of spectator.