Serpentijn kookpan Possibly 1931 - 1932

This photograph, whose maker we don't know, shows us a serpentine cooking pot, but I see the photograph itself as a kind of vessel. Imagine the photographer, working in black and white, carefully choosing the angle, the light, and the moment to capture this industrial behemoth. All those circles remind me of the eyes of an insect! It must have been pretty mind-blowing to see this in person. I think about how they must have felt standing before this huge, impressive object. A cooking pot made into art. It's a quiet, understated kind of gesture. The pipes, the valves, the ladder even, all tell a story of labor and industry. It reminds me of other artists like the Bechers who find beauty in the mundane, and inspire me to think that everything can be art.