Slow down. Get out of your car. Get off your bike. And start walking. And don't just rush from A to B. But look around you. Focus on the details. And suddenly you can discover beauty in places you hadn't expected. Color fields that form a whole, different materials that create a stunning contrast. Shadows that enhance the whole. If you were to put a frame around it, it would just fit. This is what artists spend days creating in their studios.

But this is also just there for the taking. If you just take the time to look.

That's what I try to do, capture these situations. And thus preserve them for the future.

Because everything around you in the city is being renovated. Buildings are being smoothed. Streets with a loose stone are being torn up and repaved. All the houses are being finished in RAL 9010. Joints are being replaced. Discolored bricks are being sandblasted. Murals are being repainted. Until, in the end, there's often little left of what was. History erased.

For history, you can look at the old buildings in the city center. But even these haven't escaped that dance. They all shine equally. As if they were built that way last year. And honestly, you won't be able to tell the difference anytime soon.

But in return, we have convenience.

No more worrying about tripping over that loose brick. Or being irritated by the peeling paint on that building. And now that that annoying curve has been removed from the street, you can get to work a bit earlier. You can ride along on your electric bike. Faster and faster.

I want to show people that fast and new aren't always better or more beautiful. Cherish what you have a little more sometimes. What we have. And have more energy left to invest in yourself, to work on yourself. To grow old and wise and be proud of it.

Look and really look better. And be happy again.

info@elmarkrop.com 

+31 (0)6 193 56 786 

Weesperzijde 26

1091 EC Amsterdam