Watervoorziening in Grobogan 1910 - 1928

This page from an unknown album shows scenes of water provision in Grobogan. The materials are photographic prints, laid down on paper and annotated in pen. What’s striking here is the contrast between the different ways that water is accessed. One photo shows workers constructing a system for carrying water, presumably from a distance. The other shows residents using a pump, seemingly a modern convenience. A drawing of a tap emphasizes this aspect of technology further. Yet, between the two photos and the drawing, there is an image of a vessel, perhaps made of fired clay, similar to those being carried by the workers. The juxtaposition of these images reveals a transition from manual labor and traditional technologies to modern infrastructure. Water, a basic human necessity, is seen here as a resource shaped by labor, politics, and consumption. This page invites us to consider the social implications embedded in everyday life, and the ways in which they are visualized through available materials and modes of production.