Karren en werknemers op een stortplaats van een tinonderneming te Soengeiliat c. 1900 - 1920

This photograph, of carts and workers at a tin mine in Soengeiliat, is an anonymous document of labor and industry. The palette is nearly monotone, all greys and browns, but the tonal variations create a subtly layered composition. Look at the way the carts recede into the distance. There is something poetic about the way the workers are arranged on the land. Some figures are clearly defined, others fade into the background. The artist plays with degrees of focus. It's like they want to create a sense of depth, but also collapse the space. It reminds me of some of the early photography of Eugène Atget, who catalogued the streets of Paris. Both artists share an interest in the poetics of the everyday, though Atget’s work has a slightly more romantic feel. Like much art, this piece embraces ambiguity, suggesting multiple stories at once. It lets us look into the past, and consider the human cost of progress.