Rubberbomen en voertuigen van Leidong West en machinekamer van de Deli Batavia Rubber Mij., 1933-1935 1933 - 1935

This photograph was taken sometime between 1933 and 1935. The anonymous artist captured a series of moments related to rubber production, and I can’t help but imagine what the process of photographing this series might have been like. Think about it: they're trudging through rubber plantations, navigating the machinery, and trying to frame each shot just so. What were they thinking as they captured these images? Were they focused on the technology and efficiency of the operation, or were they thinking about the broader implications of rubber production? The composition of each shot, and the careful arrangement of the prints on the page create a layered narrative. I start thinking about artists like Bernd and Hilla Becher, who photographed industrial structures with such cool detachment, yet also with a deep sense of history. Each photograph, each mark, each page, is part of an ongoing dialogue across time, a conversation that embraces ambiguity and invites multiple interpretations.