Macy's parade--New York City no number 1957

This is an untitled contact sheet of photographs, from Robert Frank, probably made with a 35mm camera. What's fascinating here is how Frank lets us peek behind the scenes, into the art-making process itself. It’s like seeing the artist's mind at work. The material quality of the work is striking. It’s raw, like a direct connection to his experience. Frank presents the whole roll of film, including the mistakes, misfires, and mundane shots, it's all there. The texture of the photographic paper, the sprocket holes, the frame numbers. It's this that gives it a sense of immediacy. Look at the upside-down shots, they are just as valid as the right way up ones, it's a document of a performance, like a dance. Frank shows us that art isn't about perfection but about exploration. I am reminded of Garry Winogrand, a real street photographer, like Frank, whose work asks us to rethink the very idea of what photography can be. There's a feeling of conversation, across time, across mediums and art forms, and that's beautiful.