Installatie 1931 - 1937

This anonymous installation shot is one of two small black and white photographs mounted on a page, neatly kept in an album at the Rijksmuseum. The images are utilitarian, industrial, almost documentary in style. What intrigues me, though, is how the artist has framed these scenes. It’s not just about recording what’s there; it's about how we see it. In the left image, the long table stretches into the distance, a horizon of knobs and surfaces fading into the light. On the right, a door, dense with detail. Each component looks as though it has a purpose, and the composition leads the eye to wonder what that purpose is. The texture of the metal, the worn surfaces, all speak of use, of process. It reminds me that art, like this installation, is also about process: the layering of ideas, the adjustments, the constant tinkering to get to something meaningful. Bernd and Hilla Becher also explored this kind of industrial typology, presenting functional objects with a similar sense of austere beauty. It’s a reminder that beauty can be found in the most unexpected places, waiting for us to notice.