S.O. Goenoengsari. Gezicht op centrifuges en koeltroggen vanaf filterpersbordes. Juli 1927. 1927

This photograph was taken in July 1927 by an anonymous artist, depicting the inside of a factory. It’s easy to look past this image because there is nothing immediately grabbing your attention; it’s gray, a little blurry and very technical. But it is exactly this level of muted observation which draws me in. I see a factory interior rendered in soft, silvery tones. The composition, built from scaffolding, pipes, and machinery, is structured and complex. If you trace the lines and forms, you’ll see the photograph is full of a kind of subtle layering. The artist shows us an industry with its components and the photo almost takes on the role of a technical drawing. I'm reminded of Bernd and Hilla Becher, with their black and white photographs of industrial buildings from the mid-20th century. Both this photograph and their work transforms mundane industrial structures into subjects of stark beauty and contemplation. It makes you think about the history of manufacturing and its visual language.