Vergadering Bigistone 3 december 1976 Possibly 1976

Editor: Here we have Cary Markerink’s photograph, "Vergadering Bigistone 3 december 1976," possibly from 1976, rendered as a gelatin-silver print. I’m struck by how this informal gathering is documented. What draws your eye in this image? Curator: For me, it’s the very act of photographic documentation, and the making of this specific photographic print. Markerink's use of the gelatin-silver process is critical. Think about it: this process requires a level of technical skill, access to specific materials, and, critically, reflects a particular form of labor involved in translating this ‘meeting’ into a tangible object. Who had access to these technologies, and who did not? And what’s the social context of its creation? Editor: That’s an interesting point! It makes me wonder about the power dynamic implicit in who gets to represent whom. Curator: Exactly! The print becomes evidence, but also a commodity. Considering that title— "Meeting Bigistone 3 december 1976" —and knowing Bigistone is a location, what kind of meeting do you think this image documents? Are they viewing a map, maybe discussing land use? Understanding the material conditions allows us to see the image as part of a larger system of resource management and power. This is not simply about ‘art’; it’s about labor, production, and exchange. Editor: So, it’s less about the people *in* the photograph and more about the *process* of creating the photograph and what that process signifies? Curator: Precisely. This gelatin-silver print signifies access, control, and the translation of an event into a physical thing that can be owned, displayed, and traded. These issues of ownership and use are especially pertinent when thinking about art's place in shaping political realities, as well. Editor: I never considered photography in quite this light. Thank you, that's a very different and enriching perspective. Curator: And thank you! Considering the materiality definitely forces us to ask crucial questions that would otherwise be unseen.