Erwin Piscator entering the Nollendorftheater, Berlin 1929

Sasha Stone made this photo collage, Erwin Piscator entering the Nollendorftheater, Berlin, probably in the 1920s or 30s, by layering negatives in the darkroom. It’s all about process, as the very act of combining these images creates something new and unexpected. The way Stone layers the images is fascinating. The figure of Piscator, a giant striding across the city, is fused with the architecture, blurring the boundaries between the individual and the urban landscape. The scaffolding that seems to encase him also evokes a sense of being under construction, an idea that is very powerful. Stone's photo collage reminds me a bit of Hannah Höch's photomontages, both artists exploring the fragmented nature of modern life. This piece captures something essential about the period; a time of upheaval and change, where the old order was being dismantled and new forms were emerging. There is no right way to interpret this collage, and that's what makes it so compelling.