Kappen van oerbos voor de aanleg van een rubberplantage van de Deli Maatschappij bij Soengei Tassik op Sumatra c. 1900 - 1920

This photograph, "Kappen van oerbos voor de aanleg van een rubberplantage van de Deli Maatschappij bij Soengei Tassik op Sumatra", was taken at an unknown date by an anonymous photographer. It captures a landscape undergoing a pretty violent transformation. Look at the stark contrast between the light sky and the dark, charred tree stumps. There's this real tension between what was and what's being made. It's a landscape of raw material, a scene of production that reminds me of some of the earthworks of the 60's, but in reverse, taking away rather than adding. The texture is rough, almost violent, with all those jagged edges. There’s a sense of rawness. The image suggests a story, but it's fragmented, open-ended. Like art, it's not about providing answers, but about creating a space for reflection. Much like the work of someone like Robert Smithson, this anonymous photograph invites us to contemplate our relationship with the environment.