National Centre for Meteorological Research, Grenoble, France Possibly 1989 - 2006

Lewis Baltz made this photograph of the National Centre for Meteorological Research in Grenoble, France. It’s got these metal structures and cables, like the guts of a machine exposed, and a floor with alternating pink and white stripes. I can imagine Baltz setting up his camera, maybe feeling a bit like an archaeologist uncovering something hidden. What’s he thinking as he frames this view? Does he see beauty in these cold, functional forms? It's funny how the human mind always tries to find a face. Like in the dark when you think the coat on the hanger is a person. I do that all the time! The photo feels like a diagram, almost clinical, and yet there's something oddly compelling about the textures and the stark lighting, the cool detachment reminding me of Bernd and Hilla Becher’s typologies of industrial structures. Photography and painting are always in conversation, with different ways of seeing, experiencing, and interpreting the world, each offering a space of inquiry for the artist and the viewer.