Untitled (medium format images of boy playing with toy animals in front of Christmas tree) 1967

Curator: This is an untitled photograph by Martin Schweig, depicting a boy playing with toy animals in front of a Christmas tree. Editor: It feels otherworldly, almost like a memory fading in and out. The inverted tones give it a ghostly quality. Curator: The choice of medium format and the negative image process are significant. It disrupts conventional expectations, drawing attention to the materiality of the photograph itself. The social context of childhood is transformed through this unexpected aesthetic. Editor: Absolutely. It’s childhood re-imagined through a strange lens, highlighting that toys were often made from cheap materials in the past. It evokes a certain nostalgia for simpler times, even if the execution is far from simple. Curator: I agree. Schweig’s manipulation of photographic processes compels us to reconsider the traditional associations with the genre. Editor: Definitely leaves an imprint on you, doesn't it?