Leprozenkolonie Danaradja: oude vrouw en dansgroep 1922

Curator: Isn’t it poignant, this array of sepia snapshots from 1922? “Leprozenkolonie Danaradja: oude vrouw en dansgroep”—Leprosy Colony Danaradja: Old woman and dance group. So matter-of-fact in its title, really. Editor: Matter-of-fact yet mysterious. It's this melancholic vignette into another world; seeing the album and its small-format albumen prints, I feel immediately drawn in by the sepia tone and this pervasive sense of isolation. The light seems subdued, almost reverential. Curator: "Reverential" is spot on! A loaded perspective for the photographer— Anonymous as credited here, observing this colony. Look at the poses of these figures—that elder woman with her cane is recurring over and over again... What does she represent in your view? Editor: A guardian, perhaps? Her unwavering presence, the slight, but steady hold on that cane... and repeated on different verandahs and outdoor shots. Maybe a witness, but not necessarily to despair; there is also that dance group in action. Dancing, in many cultures, it a healing form. Perhaps these dances gave her and her fellows an elevated and energized state to express or commune? It has the appearance of a ritual or ceremony… Curator: Oh, now that is an elegant read, a form of collective energy or coping. These tiny portals—the photographs— offer views through their compositions that highlight separations or relationships. Do you feel like the anonymity adds or detracts from the meaning, do you suppose? Editor: It's a double-edged sword. The anonymity preserves a kind of documentary truth. Less about the ego, or style, of one "Artist", and more about the story being told in Danaradja. Although the artist's identity may add insight into context and personal connection, and perhaps could change one’s feelings when looking at the image.. Perhaps seeing what equipment was used can transport me deeper into imagining, I am still able to access emotions without these contextualization pieces. Curator: Precisely—a double edged sword. I get this odd sense of reverence and detachment existing together, wouldn't you say? It’s potent to look at now in its time-capsule presentation, and you just brought it further into an experience beyond seeing. Editor: I concur, I see the sacred geometry infused throughout the prints. These portraits of the older women tell the visual history, dance breathes a ceremonial air—yes, reverent and detached, like glimpsing at an ancient relic while acknowledging you only possess part of the story. Thanks for your intuitive view of this relic.