Spoorbrug Possibly 1937

Curator: This is a photograph titled "Spoorbrug," believed to be taken around 1937. The medium is gelatin silver print, a classic technique that defines much of early twentieth-century photography. Editor: My first impression is a sense of coldness, almost like the skeletal remains of a prehistroric beast inside a sterile lab. It looks industrial and a little desolate. Curator: Indeed, and it gets even more intriguing when you realize that "Spoorbrug" translates to "Railway Bridge". The image appears to be taken inside a manufacturing plant— note the label "Machinefabriek Braat Soerabaia," which identifies the factory where the bridge was made. Editor: That adds another layer. Considering it's 1937, I can't help but consider the rising tensions and war on the horizon. Bridges connect, but they can also become strategic military targets, laden with sociopolitical symbolism. This image can act as a mirror reflecting Dutch anxieties of the era? Curator: Precisely, this era was defined by material production, it embodies how essential this was for social functions like connecting people but it shows that in that factory, that material has social meaning in a place. The process and context in its labor should be analyzed carefully. Editor: And thinking about Surabaya – modern day Indonesia, formerly the Dutch East Indies – the photograph can be seen through the prism of colonialism and industrialization in Southeast Asia and brings to the fore the power imbalances inherent to colonial economic systems. Curator: Looking closely at the construction itself, you can admire the geometric precision, steel framework, how labor goes into such great builds like these bridges! Editor: All the pieces tell a story, don’t they? Reflecting our society with intersectionality. Curator: Yes, a small picture, which represents Dutch anxieties. Editor: So it seems!