Untitled (floats in parade through town) 1941

Curator: Hamblin Studio's photograph, "Untitled (floats in parade through town)," captures a community celebration. What strikes you first? Editor: The inversion! It feels spectral, like a memory struggling to surface. Look at the mass of faces, almost bleached, yet intensely present. Curator: The inverted tones create an uncanny feeling, shifting the familiar into something dreamlike. Parades themselves are powerful symbols of unity and shared identity. What narratives do you see here? Editor: I see the collective. Parades are carefully staged events, and also powerful tools for solidifying social order, reinforcing belonging, even determining who is included in the narrative of patriotism. Curator: Indeed. The symbol of the parade itself has the ability to create a sense of collective identity. I find that, even in negative, the image transmits a certain timeless quality. Editor: It's a ghost of a moment, raising questions about who is celebrated and whose stories are left untold. I see a complex image of community, not just simple joy.