Untitled (animal in pen) c. 1950

Editor: Here we have Jack Gould's Untitled photograph of an animal in a pen. It's quite small, just 6 by 12 centimeters. The stark black and white tones give it a sense of confinement. What do you see in this piece? Curator: I see a commentary on the means of animal display. The photograph itself, a material object produced through labor, frames the animal as a commodity within a constructed environment. Notice the visible "Kodak Safety Film" edge. It reminds us of the process and its connection to industry. Editor: That's interesting, so you're focusing on how the image itself was made and what that tells us? Curator: Precisely. The image is a product, just like the pen that contains the animal, both serving a function within a system of display and consumption. Editor: I never thought about it that way. It makes me consider the act of observing. Curator: Indeed, our gaze is mediated by the photograph, further distancing us from the animal's reality.