Vakwerkbrug Possibly 1932 - 1937

Editor: This photograph, titled "Vakwerkbrug" is attributed to Isken and likely taken sometime between 1932 and 1937. It’s a monochromatic print of what looks like a metal bridge construction inside a factory or warehouse. The geometric structure is stark, yet impressive. What stands out to you about it? Curator: Well, for me, the magic lies in the process, in understanding how this object came to be. We’re seeing not just a bridge, but the tangible result of industrial labor, the application of human skill to raw materials. Note the sign "Braat Soerabaia"; the steelworks in the Dutch East Indies responsible for its fabrication, according to the inscription, likely for the island of Flores. Editor: So you’re drawn to the bridge not so much as a feat of engineering, but more as a physical record of labor and colonial exchange? Curator: Exactly! The photograph itself becomes a document of that exchange. Think about the extraction of raw materials, the social conditions of the workers assembling this massive structure, the environmental impact... and its transport and use in the colonial context. It challenges that division we often impose between "art" and "industry". Are those tiny human figures present to illustrate size? Editor: I hadn't considered the scale of the human presence! That really contextualizes the entire project. How different would it be without them? Curator: Massively! The figures show this bridge construction transcends purely functional status, gaining a potent symbolism related to industrial and colonial systems of labour and resources, beyond mere support of passage and utility. It’s about control. Editor: So, seeing it this way transforms what seems like just a photo of metal framework into an artifact loaded with social and historical significance. It feels less distant now. Curator: Precisely. We can begin to see the bridge's complex role and relationship in its time.