S.O. Goenoengsari. Ketelstation. begin Aug. 1927. 1927 - 1928

This photograph of S.O. Goenoengsari, taken in August 1927, captures a moment in time, but also hints at the unseen processes that shape our world. I wonder about the person who made this image, and what they thought about the machinery and people they were picturing. Photography, like painting, is a way of thinking. The composition is so interesting, with the large industrial boilers dominating the scene, while the figures seem dwarfed by the scale of the machinery. I guess it's a document of industry but it is more than that. It reminds me of the Bechers' work and their typologies of industrial structures. Both of them seemed to want to capture something about the way things are produced, about the human ingenuity that creates these huge feats of engineering. They are all, in effect, looking at the world and finding meaning in it. It shows that any picture can be profound if you approach it with the right eye.