Pand in aanbouw 1914 - 1919

Curator: Welcome. Let's examine "Pand in aanbouw," a photograph believed to have been taken anonymously between 1914 and 1919. Editor: It has a raw, skeletal feel. All those exposed bricks and the scaffolding crisscrossing everywhere creates this sense of something incomplete and…vulnerable, almost. Curator: Indeed. It’s fascinating how a construction site can simultaneously evoke both fragility and potential. Given the historical context, with the rise of Constructivism, there’s a clear focus here on the construction process itself, not just the finished product. This wasn't just about making a building, but showing the honest labour. Editor: Right, and you really see that in the stark materials - brick, wood, maybe some iron there? And consider what’s omitted: we don't see fancy facades or decoration here. The focus is on the bare bones of how something is built. Where do we think it was taken? It does not feel like Europe to me... Curator: It's challenging to be certain without provenance, but the style of dress and the construction techniques suggest a non-Western locale. There's an undeniable colonial undertone present; this progress is surely being built by an oppressed population. Editor: Good point! Look at the people positioned there. They could be read as markers of progress, yes, but perhaps they also show who provides the labor. Their involvement feels essential in understanding the meaning. Curator: Precisely. It speaks to the socio-political structures embedded within such projects. Buildings aren’t just structures; they are the tangible results of societal power dynamics, and imagery like this has become, as a consequence, heavily polticised. Editor: This makes me rethink construction. Seeing this building emerge, one brick and beam at a time, I am confronted with the complex relationships between planning, process and people. Curator: It really pushes you to think more critically. The photographic medium too is key: this is more than a record, it is a statement.