Kelly Flores on Halloween at a HELP USA site, Bronx, New York 1993

Editor: This is "Kelly Flores on Halloween at a HELP USA site, Bronx, New York," a photograph by Mary Ellen Mark from 1993. The stark black and white makes it feel very immediate, almost documentary-like. There's a realness to it, despite the child being in costume and watching cartoons. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Immediately, I'm drawn to the material conditions depicted here. The bare room, the dated television with its antenna, the simple fan – they speak volumes about resource limitations. This is about the making-do, the adaptation within constraints. The social context is vital; it's a photograph taken at a HELP USA site. Considering the "HELP" designation, it's meant to call attention to systems that were available (or not available) to the community in the Bronx at that time. Editor: So, it’s less about Halloween and more about…circumstance? Curator: Precisely. The child in costume introduces a complex tension. Halloween costumes involve labor and access— the purchasing or making of one. The labor behind these everyday items and how it becomes a social marker is something I note here. Is it mass-produced, thrifted, handmade? Even the choice of Casper the Friendly Ghost becomes part of this language. Think of the history of animation labor. The photograph makes one contemplate how these factors all shape lived experiences. What labor does the HELP organization itself do, what resources do they require to provide aide and is that equitable to all? Editor: I hadn't thought about the layered levels of production, the making of all these images and objects. Curator: Photography itself, even documentary photography, is also a form of production. It can offer critical observations regarding a system's efficacy for providing shelter, as suggested by the location that Mark captured. Thinking about this image as a network of production transforms it entirely. Editor: I now see how the "Halloween" aspect really is secondary. The social context is paramount. Curator: Exactly! Considering the layers of labor, resources, and context really shifted our perspective.