Chronotope comes from literary theory, first used by the Russian philosopher and literary critic Mikhail Bakhtin.
It literally means “time-space” (chronos = time, topos = place) and describes how time and space are represented together in narratives.
In Bakhtin’s idea, the way we experience a place is always tied to a moment in time — and conversely, every event in time unfolds in a space.
- A chronotope is a fusion of time and place that shapes meaning.
- In a novel, film, or photograph, it’s the way a moment is anchored — the setting, the feeling of the era, the movement through space.
- For example, a deserted WWII beach today is not just “a beach now” — it’s layered with past events, historical memory, and present decay.
- A city street corner could carry stories from generations — a meeting point of time and space.
In photography (and especially my kind of work), chronotope perfectly matches:
- Capturing how places hold layers of history
- Exploring shifting narratives (the changing meaning of landscapes, cities, memory)
- Blending documentary with subjective emotional interpretation