Mars, 30 december 1976 Possibly 1976

Cary Markerink made this black and white photograph on the 30th of December 1976. I can only imagine Markerink, camera in hand, stepping into the scene, maybe just him, maybe with others? I wonder about the reporter in his patterned shirt and tinted glasses holding the microphone and clunky recorder, while the other man listens, adorned in ceremonial dress with an elaborate headdress, a stark juxtaposition of cultures and eras. The background, blurry and nondescript, places the focus entirely on these two figures locked in a silent exchange, while the trees behind them suggest the background of a modern city. Looking at this image, I start to think about the stories we tell ourselves and each other, and how easily they can become distorted or misunderstood in the telling. What is happening here? What is being asked and how is it being heard?