Untitled (man next to large Air Force jet) c. 1950

Curator: Here we have Jack Gould's Untitled photograph of a man next to a large Air Force jet, a chromogenic print measuring just 6 by 6 centimeters. Editor: The scale amplifies the sense of monumentality, doesn't it? The jet's imposing size against the figure evokes a feeling of Cold War anxiety. Curator: Precisely, the material context is key. Think of the military-industrial complex, the resources poured into these machines of war. Editor: And how this photograph frames identity, gender, and race within that complex. Who is empowered? Who is erased? The worker or the weapon? Curator: We see the labor involved, the human element in the making and maintaining of this technology. Editor: Indeed, it's a powerful image that encourages us to question the narratives of power and dominance. Curator: Gould's choice of medium and scale makes us really consider this relationship. Editor: Ultimately, it is a very intimate portrait of a deeply impersonal subject.