Britse soldaten voeren een aanval uit op een heuvel in Norvalspont 1901

This small photograph shows British soldiers attacking a hill in Norvalspont. It was made using a stereographic process - two images put together to create an illusion of depth. What strikes me is the monochrome palette, almost like a drawing in sepia tones, and the focus on texture rather than vibrant colours. Look how the light catches the rough terrain, the soldiers' uniforms, and their fixed bayonets. The whole scene is about action, about a kind of organized chaos. My eye is drawn to the soldier who has climbed up higher than the others, one arm raised, maybe shouting, maybe throwing something. There’s something about the flatness of the image, combined with the depth, which evokes the sense of art as a construction. I'm reminded of Muybridge's motion studies - a scientific, detached approach to capturing movement. Both artists, anonymous here, offer not just documentation, but a lens through which to view, and perhaps question, the world around us.