Parsons School of Design, New York City 1973

Curator: Larry Fink's gelatin-silver print, "Parsons School of Design, New York City," dating back to 1973, certainly captures a specific moment. Editor: What strikes me immediately is the overwhelming sense of being backstage, not quite polished, still raw and visceral, full of nervous energy. Curator: Fink was very interested in revealing those moments of backstage production; his approach blurred the lines between documentary and staged portraiture. Look at the way the image captures a world still reliant on analogue processes. It’s a photo OF the design world, showing the construction of beauty and glamour, more than displaying beauty itself. Editor: Right, you see it in the textures – the sparkle of the sequins juxtaposed with the coarse fabric. But there’s a symbolic tension too, the contrast between the woman with the cigarette, evoking a jaded maturity, and the youthful Mickey Mouse cups on the nearby table. It’s like the collision of innocence lost and the striving for sophisticated allure. Curator: Exactly. And it hints at the disposable culture around the fashion industry; this image speaks volumes about the hidden labor and processes propping up an illusion of luxury. You see those disposable cups used so carelessly there, versus a focus on the central figure trying to put together herself. Editor: The heavy eyeliner is a powerful symbol – almost mask-like. Perhaps signaling the performance of identity. I see that in the unfinished garment too. A literal representation of an identity still under construction. Curator: Good point! The visible stitches emphasize that this is a fabrication, both literally in terms of clothing design but metaphorically with the fabrication of a fashionable persona for the world. Editor: So, it’s less about the finished design, and more about the making of design, about process over product... Curator: ...exactly, the image's strength resides in that deconstruction of idealized forms; how art and style aren’t birthed into the world effortlessly. Editor: A stark image, laden with meaning. I’m walking away thinking a lot about the artifice behind the stage. Curator: Indeed; Fink certainly exposes the underlying material reality, pulling back the curtain.