Vijf mannen zetten een tent op before 1910

Curator: I am stopped by this faded photograph, "Vijf mannen zetten een tent op," which translates to "Five Men Pitching a Tent". Attributed to Frédéric Boissonnas and taken before 1910, it’s rendered as a gelatin silver print, capturing a small slice of life in a distant time. What catches your eye about it? Editor: Instantly, a sense of starkness. The scene feels very matter-of-fact and rather devoid of overt emotion. The high contrast of the black and white adds to that. Almost documentary. The five men working with deliberate actions in the wilderness with a landscape that melts into the background...there is little comfort but pure action. Curator: Indeed, the landscape’s ambiguity contrasts sharply with the specificity of their task. Considering the socio-political lens, the act of setting up camp might imply themes of exploration, settlement, perhaps even an imposition upon the landscape. Early photography was complicit in documenting and therefore enabling imperial exploits. Editor: An imposition, you say? That tent, I suppose it could be seen as an imposition but it also seems strangely…humble. They are not cutting down trees, rerouting water sources; they simply are claiming temporary residence. The vulnerability of a temporary tent set up in a blank canvas speaks more of fragility. Curator: The scale certainly contributes to that sense of fragility. It's interesting how the composition leads us to contemplate their endeavor within this potentially vast, unclaimed territory, their gesture feels almost like a whisper rather than a shout. It challenges any romantic idea we may construct. Editor: Well, you know, in this instance it does ask us, “what is home?”. The men in the photo do create a little village for one evening out in what may very well be hostile environment…That, I suppose, is comforting…the idea of taking action, any action, even a tent is to push back at helplessness, no? Curator: An astute observation! In essence, we see these figures caught between grand landscapes and their humble project of inhabitation and that dichotomy perhaps reveals deeper truths about man's role within larger historical and ecological narratives. It makes me wonder…what will they encounter tomorrow? Editor: Yes, tomorrow. And who or what will come across their small village...A good story in one snapshot!