Untitled (crowd looking at roped off Geman World War II airplane) c. 1950

Editor: This small black and white photograph by John Deusing shows a crowd of people looking at a roped-off German World War II airplane. It makes me think about how war becomes spectacle. What do you see here? Curator: The inverted tones lend an eerie quality, don’t they? Like a ghostly negative from a collective memory. I sense a potent mix of curiosity and perhaps, a discomfort in confronting a symbol of past conflict. What does it mean to display war, I wonder? Editor: I guess it’s a way of processing history, or maybe even trying to understand the 'other' side. Does the artist's viewpoint seem critical, or just observational? Curator: Perhaps both? There's a stillness, a quiet observation that lets the scene speak for itself. It makes us question what we're looking at, and why. Editor: I didn't think of it that way, it's like the photo is asking us questions rather than giving answers. Curator: Exactly! And isn't that what art is all about?