Japanese Space Agency / Toshiba, Kawasaki City, Japan Possibly 1989 - 2006

This photograph, shot by Lewis Baltz in Kawasaki City, Japan, captures an interior divided into two distinct zones. On the left, a shadowy expanse is lit by a lamp that illuminates a table and a large curtain, while on the right, a brighter, more sterile zone with a computer setup on a green cart stands out. Looking at this image, I can imagine Baltz really thinking about the relationship between technology, space, and perception. The contrast between the dark and light, the raw and the technological, it speaks to an ongoing conversation around industrial spaces. This photograph sits within a long history of artists responding to the changing landscapes of technology. Think of Bernd and Hilla Becher documenting industrial structures! Baltz, like many others, prompts us to reconsider our place within these built environments. It’s a conversation that keeps evolving, as artists continue to find new ways of seeing and interpreting the spaces we inhabit.