Guggenheim 565--Family, Hollywood Hills house, Los Angeles 1955 - 1956

Editor: This is Robert Frank’s “Guggenheim 565--Family, Hollywood Hills house, Los Angeles,” shot between 1955 and 1956, a gelatin silver print. It shows a strip of negatives; the effect is fragmentary, like a fleeting memory. What strikes you most about this piece? Curator: The visual grammar here—the film strip— speaks to a kind of fractured narrative, doesn't it? Frank isn't just presenting a photograph; he's showing us the *process* of seeing, of capturing a moment. Each frame a symbol of time passing, a story unfolding, yet also a story withheld. What symbols of domestic life jump out to you? Editor: I notice a focus on interior scenes, especially children in their environment, their interactions, maybe their connection to that "Hollywood Hills house." But what’s interesting to you about seeing these images as strips? Curator: Exactly. The contact sheet form reveals, and yet obscures, the full picture, forcing us to fill in the gaps. What does that remind you of in terms of memory and storytelling? It's like folklore, how tales get passed down through generations—always changing, being reframed by the teller. Think about those individual frames – how do they act as modern-day runes? Each image holds the potential for a greater truth, yet remains fragmented. Editor: That’s fascinating, the idea of incomplete truths creating an emotional impression. It also points out how the choice to include the entire negative strip influences our understanding. Curator: Indeed. It becomes less about the definitive captured image and more about the journey, the hunt for meaning. Editor: I’m starting to look at photography in a new way – seeing beyond the surface and considering the story of seeing itself. Curator: Wonderful.