Untitled (bride and groom emerging from house as guests throw rice on them) 1949

Editor: This photograph, by Martin Schweig, shows a bride and groom leaving a house as guests shower them with rice. The negative image gives it a ghostly, almost dreamlike quality. What stands out to you? Curator: I’m struck by how this image documents a specific ritual, the throwing of rice, and the labor involved in its production and distribution. How does this seemingly simple act connect to broader social and economic structures? Editor: So, you're thinking about the industrial production of the rice itself? Curator: Precisely! And how the act of consumption, throwing it away, reflects access and even privilege. This work raises interesting questions about the relationship between material culture and social practice. Editor: That gives me a lot to think about regarding everyday rituals and their embedded meanings.