Canecutter 1930

This photograph, Canecutter, was made at an unknown date by an anonymous artist. When I look at this image, I think about the act of bearing witness. The photograph stares directly at this machine, at this site of labor, and asks us to consider its implications. I imagine the photographer, what they felt standing in front of this massive invention. The textures of the metal are rough and industrial, each component part connected by screws, like brushstrokes on a canvas. The machine is suspended in mid-air, momentarily frozen. There’s an openness to the photograph, offering multiple interpretations of the human’s relationship to the machine. There are many questions. Has the invention helped the worker? Has it exploited them? What impact does the machine have on the landscape? Photographs like these push us beyond fixed narratives and allow for reflection. It is in this spirit of ongoing inquiry that the photographer, the machine, and the viewer meet.