Untitled (man in control room) 1962

Editor: This intriguing gelatin silver print, "Untitled (man in control room)" by Jack Gould, presents a shadowy scene. The dark space and the stark lighting immediately give me a sense of the cold war. What's your take on it? Curator: It's fascinating how Gould uses gelatin silver—a mass-produced material—to depict what appears to be a seat of power. Notice the labor implicit in producing both the photograph and, presumably, the technology within the control room. Editor: So, you're focusing on the materials and production processes as key to understanding the image. Curator: Precisely. What are the implications of capturing such a scene with an easily reproducible medium? It democratizes access to, and perhaps critiques, these spaces of control. Editor: I see what you mean. Thinking about the medium challenges this idea of the control room as exclusive. Curator: Indeed. This image reminds us to consider the means by which power is constructed and represented.