Untitled (chef's hands putting salt into ground beef) c. 1960

Curator: So, here we have an intriguing, small-scale photograph at the Harvard Art Museums—an "Untitled" work by Jack Gould, depicting a chef's hands adding salt to ground beef. The dimensions are roughly 4x5 inches. Editor: My first thought is… uncanny valley, but for food. Is it just me, or does that ground beef look like it's staged to resemble a brain? Curator: Perhaps! But consider how Gould frames the labor within the kitchen; the materiality of cooking. See how the hands become part of the assembly line, transforming raw ingredients? Editor: Right! There’s also a curious contrast in textures – the smooth salt versus the rough beef. The labor is right there but hidden in plain sight. Curator: It's as though he captures an intimate moment, a ritual even. Every grain of salt, every mince of beef, carries a silent story. Editor: Absolutely! It's a study in domesticity, consumption, and, of course, the often invisible work it takes to get that burger on your plate. Curator: Beautifully put. Gould makes you consider what is required to sustain us.