Safe Harbor Dam, Pennsylvania, Verenigde Staten: brandblusinstallatie 1936

This photograph, "Safe Harbor Dam, Pennsylvania, Verenigde Staten: brandblusinstallatie," was taken by Wouter Cool sometime in the first half of the 20th century. Look at how Cool uses the stark contrast of light and shadow to define the hulking machinery against the raw concrete walls. The texture here is everything. You can almost feel the rough, unfinished surfaces of the dam. Then there's the smooth, almost futuristic form of the electrical equipment, caught in a moment of action, the fire suppression system doing its thing. Notice the spray of water, how it almost seems to dissolve into the air, creating a sense of dynamic movement. It’s a study in contrasts, industrial might versus ephemeral spray. It brings to mind the cold beauty of Bernd and Hilla Becher's photographs of industrial structures. Like them, Cool finds an austere beauty in the architecture of utility. It’s a reminder that even the most functional objects can possess a strange, compelling beauty.