Fragment van een ongedetermineerd bot van een hert before 1869

Here's a photographic image of a fragment of an unidentifiable bone from a deer. The choice of photography itself is interesting, isn’t it? It’s as if the anonymous artist sought to use an objective, scientific medium to capture the essence of this prehistoric artifact. But even within this seemingly clinical approach, we can see a great deal of intention. The stark contrast, the careful lighting, the way the bone is presented against the dark background – all these choices emphasize the material qualities of the bone itself: its texture, its weight, the marks and imperfections that tell the story of its long existence. This photograph brings up questions about the labor involved in its making, and the resources required to produce it. In the end, it prompts us to reconsider our relationship to the natural world and the objects we extract from it.