Untitled (men using high wires to cut and gather logs) c. 1950

Curator: My first impression of this image is… precarious. Editor: Indeed. This photogram, whose maker is Jack Gould, depicts a group of men using high wires to cut and gather logs. The materials are listed as photographic materials. Curator: It’s like a dance of industry. The way the high wires intersect with the stark trees… almost musical. And the negative gives it an ethereal quality, as though it is a memory. Editor: Exactly, one can almost hear the mechanical hum and the crack of timber, underscoring the physical labor required to transform these logs into commodities. The bare trees are the silent witnesses to the commodification of the landscape. Curator: I agree, this image is very haunting in its stark beauty. Editor: Absolutely; it presents a narrative not only of labor but also of the intricate relationship between industry and the natural world.