By Accident, collecting the forensic photography archive of Marcel De Baer, presents an extraordinary intersection between utilitarian legal documentation and unintentional visual poetry. Operating as a forensic expert specializing in traffic collisions and road accidents for the public prosecutor's office during the 1960s and 1970s, De Baer systematically recorded thousands of crash sites to provide clear, factual evidence for judges and juries. Rather than seeking artistic expression, his lens focused strictly on skid marks, vehicular damage, structural scratches, chalk outlines, and physical debris, distilling chaotic moments into clinical, unembellished records.

Stripped of sensationalism and direct human tragedy, these images acquire a striking formalist resonance when isolated as photographic objects. The visual components, comprising graphic arrows, handwritten annotations, sequential numbers, and stark geometric marks painted or drawn over the physical prints, overlay an abstract layer onto the stark traces of impact. This interplay between objective state documentation and inadvertent graphic composition positions the archive within a wider lineage of vernacular typology, examining how indexical records of violence and disruption can inadvertently manifest profound aesthetic structure.

This is the limited edition of the book with an estate-stamped print released in an edition of 100.

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