S.O. Goenoengsari. Doorzicht door kookhuis op molenstation. 4-2-27. 1927

Curator: What strikes me most immediately about this photograph is its strange melancholy, a kind of delicate ghostliness hanging about the skeletal frame of what must have been an incredibly bustling place. Editor: Precisely! The work, titled “S.O. Goenoengsari. Doorzicht door kookhuis op molenstation. 4-2-27,” is a gelatin silver print created in 1927, now residing in the Rijksmuseum's collection. It’s an intriguing example of archive and historical photography that also demonstrates elements of modernism and even constructionism. It certainly captures a specific historical moment. Curator: A moment indeed, frozen in shades of grey, almost like a faded memory. I keep wanting to reach out and touch those crisscrossing lines, trace the skeletal structure, feel the scale. You know, it's strangely moving, even with all its sharp angles and industrial geometry. A bit like staring at an unfinished poem…or maybe a grand ambition unfulfilled? Editor: The “unfinished poem” is an interesting reading. Thinking critically about the political landscape of the 1920s in Indonesia during Dutch colonial rule allows one to consider this photograph in terms of labor, resources, and the exploitation of both by colonial forces. Who were these workers we see in the photograph, and under what conditions were they building this “molenstation,” or milling station? Curator: It does add a layer, doesn't it? Shifts the focus to those figures almost swallowed by the immensity of the structure. I wonder what stories those workers carried, what their days looked like. Editor: Exactly! The beauty we see should prompt questions, should incite dialogue about what is not immediately apparent. Historical photography provides an aesthetic experience and offers insight into social dynamics. Curator: So, beauty and a punch in the gut? Sounds about right for a day at the museum! Seriously though, this photo, more than most, asks us to look closely, to feel deeply and question relentlessly. That’s not a bad takeaway at all. Editor: A perfect note to end on! Indeed, may we continue questioning and engaging critically with the stories embedded in artworks, particularly in photographic images.