Amsterdam Stills

As if by magic, public life has come to a standstill. The streets deserted, the water motionless in the canals, the city’s hum silenced, not a cloud in sight, everything in vivid colours beneath a clear blue sky. The city sees transformed into a theatre just after the performance: the audience gone, the stage deserted. With neither actors nor audience, the city itself claims the leading role. Suddenly, you can stand undisturbed in the middle of an intersection, look around and see the space with new eyes. "A mysterious impression of the city – like you never see it, not even in your imagination, not even in 19th-century photography." HANS AARSMAN, PHOTO DETECTIVE