Since the mid-nineteenth century photography has had a central place in cultural encounters within and between migrant communities. Migrant histories have been mediated through the photographic image, and the cultural practices of photography have themselves been transformed as migrant communities mobilise the photographic image to navigate experiences of cultural dislocation and the forging of new identities. Exploring photographic images and the cultural practices of photography as ‘conta...

Around 1960, Ed van der Elsken (1925-1990) put together a photobook on the theme of feest (feast). Drawing from both old and new work, he produced a design that is a sequence of festive occasions: fun, celebration, dancing, music, fairs, carnivals, excitement and euphoria, but also drunkenness and exhaustion in the wee hours. He combined the individual photographs into sparkling and rhythmical pairings, so that a genuine sense of joy emanates from the pages. At the time, for reasons unknown, ...