Welcome back to another episode of the Slices of Time Street Photography podcast. In this episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Bram Penninckx, a talented street photographer from Brussels. I first encountered Bram’s work during a De Donkere Kamer event in Antwerp, where he shared insights into his project Le Ring. This conversation left me intrigued, and I knew I had to dive deeper into his artistic approach and this fascinating series.
Discovering Brussels Through Photography
Bram Penninckx, a documentary street photographer, has long been captivated by the city of Brussels. While he originally hails from Overijse, a town near Brussels, it was his move to the city, prompted by personal ties, that sparked his photographic journey. For Bram, Brussels is a city of contrasts, a place full of mystery and complexity that’s often misunderstood. His aim, through his projects, is to reveal the many layers of this captivating city.
As a photographer, he finds the city’s juxtaposition of positive and negative aspects fascinating. He mentions that street photography became his way to understand the city better. Despite the challenges of living and working in such a vibrant, multifaceted environment, he feels that his photography serves as a tool to explore and make sense of Brussels’ dynamic landscape.
A Journey of Discovery
While Bram has a deep connection to Brussels, he spent parts of his early life elsewhere, including a time in Ghent for his studies. Though he knew Brussels well as a child, it was during his photography studies that he began truly engaging with the city through the lens. His early experiences, including a robbery that left him shaken, also influenced his resolve to keep pursuing his passion despite the obstacles.
As he explains, the robbery taught him an important lesson: the moments when you least expect something to happen can often be the most significant. This lesson, learned from his personal experience, translates into his photography—where he approaches the streets of Brussels with an open mind, ready to capture whatever unfolds before him.
Focusing on the Suburbs: Le Ring
One of Bram’s most recent and intriguing series is Le Ring, which focuses on the outskirts of Brussels. This project explores the areas surrounding the infamous Brussels Ring Road, a vast highway encircling the city. Unlike many street photographers, Bram’s work often avoids busy city centers and instead turns his focus to the quieter, less explored suburban zones.
In Le Ring, his approach to capturing landscapes is methodical, even surgical. Bram describes how he carefully maps out his route using Google Earth, ensuring that he covers different parts of the area without retracing his steps too often. He notes that despite the absence of bustling crowds, these suburban landscapes hold stories that are just as meaningful as the busy city streets. The architecture, the desolate spaces, and the people—sometimes just those walking their dogs—offer a unique window into the life around the Ring Road.
Techniques and Equipment
When it comes to techniques, Bram uses a variety of tools depending on the project’s needs. For his Le Ring series, he utilizes a combination of a monopod and tripod, especially when shooting landscapes. The wide-open spaces and changing light make it necessary to stay steady and patient while waiting for the right moment to capture the perfect shot. As he explains, the landscape around Brussels is constantly evolving, making it an exciting subject for long-term photography projects.
Interestingly, unlike traditional street photographers, Bram doesn’t always focus on capturing people. Instead, he embraces the stark emptiness of the suburbs, where architecture and nature dominate the scene. This focus on landscapes allows him to comment on the political and cultural tensions surrounding the city—offering a subtle critique of the urban landscape through his lens.
Challenges in Photography Projects
Bram’s journey with his projects hasn’t been without its challenges. In the early days of Le Ring, he encountered difficulties when searching for specific subjects to photograph, such as the elusive ecoduct, a wildlife crossing bridge over the ring road. However, persistence paid off when he finally spotted one during an interview at the Sonian Forest.
While capturing these landscapes, Bram also emphasizes the importance of selecting images carefully. He admits that some of his initial choices no longer felt as strong after time, leading to a more refined collection of photos. He anticipates that around 100 images will make it into the final book for Le Ring, showcasing the evolution of both his artistic process and his connection to the subject matter.
The Publishing Process
Bram is also working on publishing a book for his project, something he sees as a natural conclusion to the years of work he’s put into Le Ring. Unlike many photographers, who may focus solely on creating a portfolio, Bram views the book as a storytelling medium—a way to combine text and photography to fully convey his message. As he continues to work on the project, he’s in discussions with editors, though he notes that publishing a book is not without its challenges. It requires a significant investment of time, effort, and resources, but for Bram, it’s all worth it to share his vision with a wider audience.
The Ever-Evolving Landscape
One of the most significant takeaways from Bram’s work is his deep appreciation for the ever-changing urban and suburban landscapes around Brussels. He’s captured images of spaces that are now being redeveloped or have already changed since he first photographed them. As he reflects, photography has the power to freeze a moment in time, preserving it for future generations to see. Whether the landscape remains the same or transforms overnight, these photographs serve as a testament to the dynamic nature of the city.
Bram’s work invites us to reflect on how we see our environments, especially those we might otherwise overlook. His focus on the quiet corners of Brussels speaks to a deeper understanding of place and identity—showing us that every corner of the city, even the most ordinary, has a story worth telling.
Conclusion
Bram Penninckx’s work is a powerful exploration of Brussels, from its bustling heart to the quieter, sometimes forgotten suburbs. Through his lens, he captures the complex layers of the city, offering a nuanced perspective that goes beyond the conventional street photography narrative. Whether through his projects, his thoughtful approach to research, or his consideration of the political and cultural implications of the urban landscape, Bram continues to shed new light on a city that is both loved and misunderstood.
Follow Bram’s journey as he works on his Le Ring project, and stay tuned for the final book, which promises to be a comprehensive visual and narrative exploration of Brussels and its surroundings.
