Untitled (soccer player kicking ball over his back) c. 1950

Curator: What strikes me most about this small, undated silver gelatin print is the sense of suspended action, almost like a dream. Editor: It's arresting, isn't it? Jack Gould's photograph titled, "Untitled (soccer player kicking ball over his back)" captures this raw athleticism. I’m immediately drawn to the process of making such a photograph. Curator: Exactly, the body in motion is never divorced from social constructs. Who has the freedom to move, to play, to even be captured in such a vulnerable state? Editor: And how? We have a player suspended, defying gravity, against this blurred background. What kind of lens, what shutter speed did Gould use? Curator: I think it’s a potent moment; an image of masculine ability in a very specific cultural context. Soccer, as a sport, often carries class and nationalistic weight. Editor: Absolutely, and consider the materiality of the print itself, small and intimate, made with a very specific, labor-intensive darkroom process. It’s about the physicality of both the sport and the image-making. Curator: I appreciate how you brought it back to the making. For me, it’s about how such seemingly simple images reflect larger power dynamics. Editor: Indeed. A perfect blend of form and context.