Untitled (crane and wrecking ball demolishing large building) c. 1950

Curator: Here we have an untitled photograph by Jack Gould depicting a crane and wrecking ball demolishing a large building. It's part of the Harvard Art Museums collection. Editor: It’s a stark image, the inverted tones amplifying the brute force of the machinery against the structure. There’s something unsettling about this scene of controlled demolition. Curator: Exactly. Consider the labor involved. The crane itself, a complex machine, relies on human operation and engineering. The building, once a space of labor itself, is now being undone. Editor: And what narratives are being erased along with the bricks and mortar? Whose stories are being flattened to make way for something new, or perhaps, something that will perpetuate existing power structures? Curator: An important question. The dust and debris become a physical manifestation of the disruption, the ephemerality of progress and the cyclical nature of construction and destruction. Editor: Indeed, a potent symbol of both progress and erasure, forcing us to consider what is gained and lost in the constant reshaping of our built environment. Curator: Gould's photograph serves as a compelling artifact. Editor: A reminder of the weight of progress.