Untitled (chimp pretending to drive fake robot machine) 1963

Curator: This photograph, by Jack Gould, is titled "Untitled (chimp pretending to drive fake robot machine)." Editor: It's giving me very whimsical, slightly unsettling vibes. Like a forgotten corner of a 70s kids' TV show set. Curator: Indeed. Note the construction—the robot is obviously made of painted wood or plastic, and it looks like the backdrop is hand-painted. It blurs the lines between fabrication and reality. Editor: The chimpanzees really make it, don't they? Their outfits contrast with the very clunky, almost brutalist robot design. I feel a wave of nostalgia mixed with a touch of the uncanny. Curator: The image invites us to consider the spectacle of entertainment and animal labor. Are we meant to find it humorous or question its ethics? Editor: I think it's both. The human impulse to play, to build, to create fantasy, colliding with the exploitation of animals. It's playful yet poignant.