War: Germany. Berlin. Prussian Guard Regiment: Life in a Regiment of the Prussian Guard: Preparing for Inspection. c. 1903

Curator: This photograph by Waldemar Titzenthaler, titled "War: Germany. Berlin. Prussian Guard Regiment: Life in a Regiment of the Prussian Guard: Preparing for Inspection" offers a slice of military life. Editor: It's all about labor here, isn't it? The repetitious work, the almost factory-like setting for preparing these weapons. Curator: Absolutely. The emphasis is on the functional, on the materials, but there’s also a strange beauty in the light, the way it highlights the steel. It reminds me of ritual almost, preparing for something bigger. Editor: I think the regimentation itself, the careful placement of objects and people, is the ritual. It's about producing a fighting force, not art, but you can see the making. The labor is the art. Curator: I can see that. It's about the tension between the individual and the collective, all united by this shared task. It leaves me reflecting on the human element within such an institutional setting. Editor: For me it’s the means of production – the process of making soldiers.