Untitled (model home kitchen) c. 1950

Editor: This is Jack Gould's "Untitled (model home kitchen)," a photograph of a kitchen interior. It's striking how the negative image emphasizes the slick surfaces and manufactured forms. What can you tell me about this piece? Curator: This image, presented as a negative, throws into sharp relief the industrialized nature of domestic space. Consider the labor involved in producing these standardized units. The photograph itself, a reproducible medium, further emphasizes the themes of mass production and consumption inherent in the model home. Editor: So, the medium itself becomes part of the message about mass production? Curator: Precisely. The photographic negative reveals not just a space, but also the processes that create and circulate it. Editor: That's a different way of thinking about the kitchen - less about the family and more about the factory. Curator: Indeed, and the material conditions that shape our daily lives.