Stelplaats met drie kookpannen en twee verdamplichamen 1917 - 1938

This photograph shows a still with three cooking pans and two evaporator bodies, and was made at an unknown date, by an anonymous photographer. While the artist is unknown, we can see through the material and processes involved, the culture in which it was made. The industrial materials and their arrangement speak volumes about their moment in time. The steel bodies loom large, bolted together and ready for work. The photograph captures an industrial scene, which is likely dedicated to the production of alcohol. It represents the kind of specialized equipment that drove industrial economies. Each component, from the riveted panels to the gauges and valves, shows human labour, from the factory floor to the engineers office. The scale of the still suggests a substantial operation, geared toward mass production and widespread consumption. Paying attention to the materials and making helps us recognize the social and economic forces at play, and understand the world that brought it into being.