Untitled (Suffolk Coca Cola Bottling Works) 1930

Curator: This is an untitled work by Hamblin Studio, currently held at the Harvard Art Museums. It depicts the Suffolk Coca Cola Bottling Works. Editor: The composition seems simple, a storefront, but the negative makes it eerie, almost ghostly. Curator: Precisely. The choice of subject matter elevates the mundane. Coca-Cola's rise intertwines with American social history, a symbol of mass production and consumption. Editor: And the bottling works itself! We see the means of production, the physical labor hinted at within. It's not just about drinking the Coke; it’s about how it gets there. Curator: It’s a deliberate commentary, presenting industry as part of everyday life, integrated into the community. Editor: What I see is a snapshot of capitalism. The studio reminds us to look at the structures that make this possible. Curator: Indeed. Hamblin encourages us to think about the processes and systems that underpin our cultural landscape. Editor: A chilling reminder that even our desires are manufactured.