Small, fleeting moments are what make up our days, our relationships, our understanding of the world. Transient and often forgettable, they are the meat of this life, generating inspiration, contentment, joy, and connection. To be able to capture and distill this is truly magical. It’s pretty wild that an image of a country road you’ve never seen before can spark nostalgia. The visible dashboard and steering wheel in the foreground of Bert Teunissen's BG-0004 places you in the driver’s seat. The windshield wiper is unfurled and mid-swipe; behind, the wet road gleams in the sun and a thick mist obscures the hills in the distance. It’s just rained, and then suddenly cleared. This photograph is perfectly vague—you don’t know where it was taken, and you don’t need to. You’ve been invited to share this memory, and make it your own.
Whether artists capture these moments to memorialize their emotions, celebrate ephemeral beauty, or out of a desire to document for the sake of documentation, the results are striking. Nothing ever happens exactly the same way again—ever. Yet the depth of resonance you may feel looking at someone else’s recollection suggests shared experiences: a common thread of existence and the universal urge to feel.
