Untitled (class photo on bleachers) 1949

Curator: This black and white photo, "Untitled (class photo on bleachers)" by John Deusing captures a large group of people arranged on stadium seating. The photograph’s dimensions are 20.32 x 25.4 cm. Editor: It's a very sterile image, like a negative—as if it is devoid of life, a ghostly echo of a collective identity. Curator: I agree, the stark contrast evokes a sense of uniformity and anonymity. The bleachers themselves are symbolic, representing hierarchy and the rigid structure of institutions. Editor: I'm curious about the materiality of the print itself. The paper, the developing process, how that contributes to this feeling of removed, collective identity. Curator: Yes, the photographic medium has a kind of evidentiary authority, lending an air of historical truth to the image, but also hinting at the constructed nature of memory. Editor: Right, the reproduction process as crucial to the image's interpretation, influencing our reception of this assembly of people. Curator: Ultimately, it becomes a meditation on community, individuality, and how we are framed by the institutions that shape us. Editor: It leaves me pondering the labor involved in creating this kind of photograph, the social dynamic of the students and the photographer.