Pagode of Seeing

Pagode of Seeing is part of Berend Strik's ongoing investigation into architecture, perception, and cultural memory. The pagoda — an architectural form referencing Buddhist traditions but widely appropriated in Western imagination — serves as a vehicle for examining how cultural forms are transformed and invested with new meanings.

Strik's approach involves photographing architectural subjects and then enhancing them with textile elements — velvet, tulle, threads — that layer new meanings onto the original image. This process creates a visual dialogue between the documentary photograph and the artist's subjective interpretation.

As with all his work, Strik is less concerned with the architectural object itself than with what it represents: the intersection of memory and space, the way buildings become repositories of desire, aspiration, and cultural identity. His stitched photographs create what he calls an "intermediate space" — between the fixed image and the viewer's imagination.

Strik's practice spans multiple disciplines including two-dimensional work, sculpture, and architecture. His work is held in collections including Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Fries Museum, SCHUNCK, and TextielMuseum.

Sources: Wikipedia · Fons Welters