Korte beschrijving/Annotatie

The limestone caves of the Sint-Pietersberg preserve a huge living archive, recorded and photographed by Jan Spee in thousands of photos and notes.

Tekst achterflap

In the south of the Netherlands lies the limestone plateau of the Sint-Pietersberg. As early as the Middle Ages, people started using limestone as a building material. Underground mining resulted in an immense network of caves, its corridor walls preserving a huge living archive, left behind by block breakers, tourists, people in hiding, soldiers, and priests. Fossils of Sauria have been found, sieges have taken place, people have disappeared, and treasures have been stored (such as Rembrandt's Night Watch). Around 1960, Jan Spee started photographing these corridor walls, which he meticulously mapped and organised. Compiled by Sven Gerhardt (NL), this book gives an overview and provides context and cross-references to Spee’s images.

Biografie

Sven Gerhardt (1986) lives and works as a graphic designer in the Netherlands. During his graduation year at the Utrecht School of Arts in 2009 he co-founded design studio HOAX which specialises in branding, storytelling and campaigning for organisations and initiatives in the arts and culture sector. As an autonomous designer, Gerhardt focuses on reinterpreting and republishing existing archives and collections. He breathes new life into obscure and forgotten sources of information and inspiration about art and cultural history. In the project Ik ben bezig met mijn handen, en ik denk (2023), Gerhardt dug into the life and oeuvre of artist Joop Kruip. In the ongoing project Archives Tirages (2025), he examines the legacy of the coal industry in Wallonia, documenting how this desolate landscape has become a playground for graffiti artists.

Inhoudsopgave

In the south of the Netherlands lies the limestone plateau of the Sint-Pietersberg. As early as the Middle Ages, people started using limestone as a building material. Underground mining resulted in an immense network of caves, its corridor walls preserving a huge living archive, left behind by block breakers, tourists, people in hiding, soldiers, and priests. Fossils of Sauria have been found, sieges have taken place, people have disappeared, and treasures have been stored (such as the Night Watch). Around 1960, Jan Spee started photographing these corridor walls, which he meticulously mapped and organised. Compiled by Sven Gerhardt (NL), this book gives an overview and provides context and cross-references to Spee’s images.

Details