Image: 360-degree view of Ponte Vecchio in Florence, Italy. c. 1988–1992. Photo by Paul Gofferjé and Trudy Nijman / HAEU, PG-2_3.
The Historical Archives of the European Union (HAEU) marks the 2026 World Day for Audiovisual Heritage with the launch of a new virtual exhibition, Bridge over Europe: Stitching a Continent Together. The exhibition explores the ambitious photographic project created by Amsterdam-based photographers Paul Gofferjé and Trudy Nijman between the late 1980s and early 1990s.
The online exhibition, created by audiovisual archivist trainee Mar Brandi, follows this process from conception to completion. Its four sections explore the origins of the project and its metaphor of connection; the journey across Europe and the selection and photographing of the bridges; the pioneering combination of analogue panoramic photography and emerging digital imaging technologies; and the subsequent exhibition and archival history of the work. The completed panorama, approximately 75 metres long, was first presented publicly in the European Community Pavilion at Expo ’92 in Seville and was later presented in several other venues.
