High Alert, Friedrichstrasse Crossing, Berlin 1961

Editor: So this is Don McCullin's "High Alert, Friedrichstrasse Crossing, Berlin." The stark black and white really emphasizes the soldiers’ heavy gear. What do you see in how McCullin uses these material details? Curator: Notice how McCullin focuses on the *stuff* of war - the uniforms, the binoculars, the weapons. This material reality becomes the focal point. The photograph becomes less about individual heroism and more about the industrial processes that create soldiers. Editor: That’s fascinating! So you’re saying the *things* tell a bigger story than the faces? Curator: Precisely. These are the tools of a specific trade, the material manifestations of power and conflict, and the labor involved in this work. Editor: I never thought about it that way. Now I see how the image transforms into a commentary on the military-industrial complex.