Blokken steenkool bij de Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations in 1851 in Londen 1851

Curator: I find myself immediately transported back in time looking at this fascinating photograph. The work, created in 1851 by Hugh Owen, is titled 'Blokken steenkool bij de Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations in 1851 in Londen,' or Coal Blocks at the Great Exhibition for those of us who are not Flemish speakers! Editor: Hmm, I have to say, my first impression isn't exactly thrilling. A big pile of coal? It feels almost... aggressively utilitarian, though, paradoxically, that coal speaks to a certain type of raw potential, a power source about to change the world. Curator: That is an apt description. Beyond just raw energy, what do those black blocks evoke? In Victorian England, coal was more than fuel; it represented progress, industry, the entire empire. The Great Exhibition itself was meant to showcase British power, so even a mundane material such as this became symbolic. Editor: Right, it’s all about context, isn't it? I can start to see it – each lump potentially powered factories and fuelled steam engines! Yet now looking at it now, in our time, knowing what we know about fossil fuels, this almost feels ominous, or perhaps deeply melancholic? Curator: Yes, it is fascinating how much meanings change over time! It is the role of such resources in a time of the beginning of resource consumption and how such beginnings often determine current day meanings of that very item. In the picture there appears to be more than one piece - perhaps they are hinting at over indulgence already in its early stages. Editor: It's a compelling artifact of an era – it reminds us that every symbol shifts its weight, both literally and figuratively, across history. I can imagine standing right there at the dawn of something enormous and not being able to foresee the shadows that the brilliance would eventually cast. Curator: Indeed! A powerful statement from such an everyday source! Editor: And something seemingly dull becomes unexpectedly captivating when you allow the narratives and counter-narratives to resonate within it.