Untitled (zookeeper feeding giraffe in cage) c. 1950

Curator: This photograph by Jack Gould, simply titled "Untitled (zookeeper feeding giraffe in cage)," presents a poignant scene. Editor: Those bars! They slice the image and the giraffe in half, almost like a visual representation of captivity itself. Curator: Absolutely, and you can almost feel the cool metal of those bars. But look at the zookeeper's hand, that gesture of offering, of connection. Editor: It's about labor, too, isn't it? The material conditions of keeping animals—the feeding, the caging. Someone had to build those cages and someone has to maintain the space. Curator: It gives us so much to consider, even in this small 6 x 24 cm frame. I wonder what the story is behind this one moment. Editor: It's a reminder that our interactions with the natural world are always mediated, constructed, and, yes, material.