Untitled (Berkeley) 1978

Editor: This untitled photograph by Bill Dane captures a street scene, likely in Berkeley, considering the title. The figure wearing the bizarre hat made of organic material really draws my eye. What can you tell me about how the materials and the setting inform the work? Curator: I think it's interesting how the photograph documents the intersection of the everyday with the performative. The "Sally C's" shoe repair shop anchors the scene in a specific locale, but the figure disrupts that, turning it into something other than a simple street scene. What kind of labor went into the hat itself? Editor: That's a good point. It's not just found, it's assembled. I hadn't thought about that. So, you're suggesting that the piece is about the juxtaposition of commercial labor with artistic production? Curator: Exactly. And Dane's act of photographing it adds another layer of production. The photograph becomes a document of a performance, blurring lines between art and life. Editor: That makes me see the photo and the figure in it in a totally different way now.