Groepsportret en fabrieksterrein 1929 - 1930

This is a mounted photograph, one of two, called Groepsportret en fabrieksterrein, made by an anonymous artist. The images are black and white, and the way they're mounted, in a book, makes them feel like a diptych. Up top, we've got this casual group portrait, almost like a snapshot, full of people and even a goat, hanging out under what looks like a makeshift shelter. Then, below it, there's this shot of a factory or industrial site, stark and kind of lonely. I can't help but feel that the contrast between the two images – the human warmth versus the cold machinery – really says something about how we shape our world, and how our world, in turn, shapes us. It reminds me of the work of Bernd and Hilla Becher, known for their straight forward, seemingly objective approach to documenting industrial structures. There's a similar sense of detachment and observation here, but with a twist, like we're invited to consider what it means to be both inside and outside of the frame, both part of the community and part of the machine.