Untitled (Costa Rica) 1979

Editor: Bill Dane’s "Untitled (Costa Rica)" is a black and white photograph of a beach. The textures of the sand and foliage are striking. What’s your take on this piece? Curator: The means of production interest me. The material constraints of black and white photography at the time, the social context of Costa Rica, and Dane’s labor in capturing this image. Were these materials readily available or did they reflect a certain kind of commodity chain? Editor: That’s a perspective I hadn't considered. It prompts so many questions about value and access. Curator: Precisely. And how the image itself becomes a commodity, consumed and circulated. Editor: I am definitely walking away with a different perspective on photography.