“Skybox” by Photographer Machteld Kroon

Lens-based artist Machteld Kroon rephotographs old, found footage of unknown origin. Based in The Netherlands, Kroon’s photography explores family life and heritage, blending documentary and constructed realities. With a background in fine art, her work delves into the intricate tapestry of identity, memory, and ancestry. This particular project is based on a box of slides, thirty years old or more. With no identifying information or context, Kroon contemplates their meaning and origins, while literally projecting her own:

“The original photographer repeatedly captured the sky, much like a child exploring through repetition, an act of pure observation unburdened by meaning. Over time, these images grew on me. Their consistency became a language, a quiet meditation on looking. In their persistence, I saw both a child’s wonder and an adult’s need to hold onto the fleeting. By projecting these slides onto my body and the snow, I shift their original intent. The past meets the present, and the act of rephotographing them transforms their purpose, infusing them with new meaning shaped by my presence.”