Quiet Witness

Same time – different world

In a world where crises dominate the headlines and political debates, the quiet, everyday realities of social and economic inequality can fade into the background. This documentary seeks to illuminate those contrasts: the subtle yet profound disparities that are visible, yet often unseen, in our daily lives.

Through a mix of portraits and scenes, this work captures both the people living these realities and the environments that shape them. The photographs are unflinching, while preserving the dignity and privacy of those photographed.

Over the course of a year, I spoke with and photographed the people in this series. I heard painful stories, but I also encountered humanity, resilience, and intelligence.

For a period, I brought food to Willem and Bien. They lived with their three dogs on a bench by Leidseplein in Amsterdam. Umbrellas and cushions turned it into a temporary shelter. With plants and garden gnomes, they tried to make it feel like home. They had lost their home in Alkmaar and were looking for a new place to live. The homeless shelter would not accept their dogs, and they refused to give them up. Leidseplein brought them into contact with other people, and with that help. Willem always shaved his beard, kept his golden chain around his neck, and spoke with a positive mindset. Bien stayed more in the background. Sometimes sad, but always grateful for help. They endured storms on that couch. One day, the couch was empty.

Tomer precisely studied how many boats were steered by women and how many by men on the Prinsengracht. Until late afternoon, the ratio was one woman to every four men; after that, it gradually shifted to one to one. The theories he came up with were well thought out, but in the end, we concluded that alcohol was the main driver.

The title comes from an encounter with Arash. He fled Iran twenty years ago and has lived in the Netherlands ever since. At times, he could stay with a friend, sleeping in a room somewhere in Amsterdam. I bought him a meal. He was asked to leave the restaurant; I was not. We waited for the food together outside. Bystanders looked at us in confusion, as if the picture did not add up. Same time, different world.