Christmas at The Other Side, Boston 1972

Editor: Here we have Nan Goldin's "Christmas at The Other Side, Boston," a gelatin-silver print from 1972. The contrast is striking. The image features two figures; one is an illustration, the other a live person. It gives a feeling of old Hollywood glamour, and I wonder what was Nan Goldin thinking about with this diptych? Curator: Let’s think about Goldin’s process here. It's a photograph of an existing image and a person. The ready-made photograph or advertising print juxtaposed with this glamorous figure becomes a key point. Are we consuming identities, creating personas through these readily available images and clothes? Editor: That makes sense. So the photograph isn't just about the *subject* but the means by which that subject presents themself. Are you saying there's commentary on how identity is manufactured? Curator: Exactly! Goldin is engaging with ideas of self-construction through the act of photographing an encounter with pre-existing images circulating in society. She draws attention to the act of production – both photographic and of the persona. Even the high-contrast, grainy gelatin-silver print, a process itself, reinforces this. Think about the labour involved in printing and then comparing it to the perceived effortlessness of a readymade image. Editor: So, Goldin isn't just capturing a moment; she's showing us the layers of production and consumption that go into constructing an image, and by extension, an identity. It’s fascinating to think about those tensions between glamour and process, readymade and craft! Curator: Absolutely, considering Goldin’s contribution to photographic traditions this tension emphasizes the impact and importance of photography. Editor: This really reframes how I see the artwork! I'll definitely be looking at other gelatin-silver prints with this lens in mind.