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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Fourteen: Expressing the meaning of buildings and structures > Winches, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 2005
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19-JUN-2005

Winches, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 2005

The stairs within these old Dutch houses are too narrow to accept furniture. Their builders solved the problem by fitting permanent winches into the pediments of such buildings. These hoists are part of what makes Amsterdam look like Amsterdam. Many of them are still in regular use. Some buildings are constructed to lean slightly forward to expedite the winching process. I stress the winches in this wideangle image by underexposing the buildings, abstracting them in backlight against the sky to create a rhythmic flow of projecting hoists.

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Phil Douglis17-May-2009 18:29
Thanks, Nederlanduardo -- I tried with this image to take my viewers back into time -- this is exactly what you would have seen here 400 years ago, except, of course, for the tiny electric light at right. As for 400 years in the future, we must use our imaginations. And when I do, I can imagine that the best of both the 17th and 21st century buildings of Amsterdam will be carefully preserved and restored so that the 25th century inhabitants of Amsterdam can cherish them.
nederlanduardo16-May-2009 22:42
The city of 1609, the city of 2009, the city of 2409. Wish I could be there then.
Phil Douglis29-Jul-2006 19:47
Yes, Emi -- this is a story telling picture. Glad you learned something from it. I abstracted the picture to stress the hoists -- when all is in silhouette, the form of the hoists is more defined. As for your picture, it is very similar on its composition and degree of abstraction. The clothes are very abstract -- it takes very close study to figure out what they are. Of course both you and I help things along with our captions. That is why words are so important as helpful companions to pictures.
Guest 29-Jul-2006 12:36
Yes, I have never know it till now. And the form of it reminds me of the picture I took earlier this month.
http://www.pbase.com/clarkerobinson/image/63766840

Emi
Phil Douglis24-Jan-2006 04:46
Thanks, Christine, for coming to this image. I try to tell stories with my pictures. And if this image has told you a story about how the Dutch used to get furniture into those narrow houses, it has done its job well.
Guest 13-Jan-2006 04:37
These winches are like silhouettes.
I never realized that they use this system to move furniture. Interesting and informative.
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