Uitstalling van machines 1931 - 1937

Curator: Here we have an intriguing photomontage from sometime between 1931 and 1937, titled "Uitstalling van machines", which translates to "Display of Machines." It's housed here at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: Immediately, I am struck by how stark and almost unsettling it is. The contrast is quite strong. The machines on display under a banner...it speaks of a utilitarian age, doesn't it? Curator: Yes, the materiality speaks volumes. It is a photographic print but assembled. The method is intriguing: to capture an industrial moment in high Art Deco fashion is interesting in that era. The machinery, likely quite modern for its time, suggests evolving social production. What do you make of that motto at the top, "Ex undis sol"? Editor: Ah, “From the waves, the sun.” Given the prominence of machines, I can’t help but interpret the Latin inscription as symbolic of technological innovation rising, phoenix-like, from the raw potential of nature. Almost a heralding of the age to come, which feels potent in the context of pre-war anxieties. The banner looks very regal almost religious like a promise. Curator: I find it a little unnerving too, this imposed narrative upon simple tools displayed almost for religious acceptance in Art Deco geometry. And note the sharp contrast between light and dark emphasizes industrial processes and output - very dramatic for that time but speaking so coldly, too. It is both impressive and off-putting for the artist to so starkly showcase these new machines! Editor: Indeed. It's as though they're trying to give mundane manufacturing this aura of monumental destiny. Are they trying to mask labour with design in some manner? Curator: A definite possibility. By imbuing it with such symbolism, it somewhat softens the harsher aspects. Let's not forget Art Deco celebrated speed, progress, all embodied so elegantly in the machine aesthetic; but this image challenges it, exposing it! It challenges both material and symbolism. Editor: A powerful observation. Thinking about its symbolism in our time is rather unsettling in context. Curator: Agreed. Editor: This has shifted my thinking entirely. A curious piece, and all the more fascinating to reflect on.