Looking North from Room 3003—Shelton Hotel, New York 1927

Editor: Alfred Stieglitz’s photograph, "Looking North from Room 3003—Shelton Hotel, New York," taken in 1927. It’s a striking cityscape in black and white. There’s something almost ominous about it, the tall buildings looming against a dark sky. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Beyond the striking composition, I see a commentary on power, progress, and even erasure. Stieglitz made this image at a pivotal moment, when modernism was rapidly reshaping the urban landscape. Think about who gets to occupy these spaces, who benefits from this construction, and whose stories are being overwritten by these monolithic structures. What kind of societal structure can explain this concentration of space? Editor: I see the buildings as, well, just buildings. They give an idea of the modernity and industrialisation of the city. What would you be hinting towards exactly? Curator: Consider how the towering Shelton Hotel dwarfs its surroundings. It physically embodies power, doesn’t it? It reflects not just architectural ambition but also the economic and social forces that enabled its construction. The lack of people, their exclusion, reinforces a system, where those not in power are invisible. Do you agree with that interpretation? Editor: That’s a fascinating way to consider it, I never really thought that it could hide messages or opinions that are social or political. But I can see what you are hinting at. Curator: Exactly. Photography, especially during that time, can reveal and conceal social inequalities. Reflect on what stories Stieglitz might be consciously or unconsciously telling us about urban life and social structures. Editor: Thanks, I’ll definitely think about photography, and art in general, differently moving forward.