Suikerdrooginstallatie 1918

Editor: We're looking at "Suikerdrooginstallatie," a photograph from 1918 currently housed in the Rijksmuseum. I believe the medium is print. It’s a really striking image of a sugar drying installation. It feels incredibly industrial, almost overwhelming in its scale and detail. What do you see when you look at this piece? Curator: Oh, what a fascinating photo, don’t you think? You nailed it, this industrial colossus practically breathes with a history. To me, the composition has this… almost hypnotic rhythm to it. It’s not just machinery; it's a portrait of an era, wouldn't you say? Think about it - 1918, a world rebuilding, industry roaring back. I mean, it's just such a different way of life and also art! What I find equally fascinating is that the eye is drawn beyond the architecture. Does the light through the distant window offer an illusion beyond the present? Editor: A portrait of an era, that’s a great way to put it. All that machinery and the people in the distance, and the quality of light really places it. Do you think there's something deeper to find in an industrial process such as sugar refinement? Curator: Absolutely, you astute individual, you! Look at the precision in the craftsmanship. The industrial world, yes, often bleak and cold. And the eye that captured this almost breathes reverence into metal. Also, think for a moment about the raw matter – the sweetness in sugarcane being wrestled into its final refined form. This feels more than merely an arrangement of metal – rather an alchemy perhaps. You can almost smell it. Don't you find that idea, dare I say, yummy? Editor: Alchemy, I like that! So it’s about transforming raw materials, but also about capturing the spirit of that time. That is quite tasty! Curator: Indeed. To really connect the head and heart of an experience. We are not just learning of sugar, industry or even time, but being a part of the human experience. That's how my mind sees it, anyway! Editor: I'll have to think of photography in that light moving forward. Thanks!