S.O. Goenoengsari. Ketelbattery. 30-4-27. 1927

This photograph, titled 'S.O. Goenoengsari. Ketelbattery. 30-4-27' was made on April 30th, 1927. It's a bit of a puzzle, isn't it? The photograph is almost entirely devoid of colour. It gives a sense of the scene as one of work in progress: an industrial scene featuring architectural construction or demolition. There is a visible contrast between the weight of the machinery and the human scale of the individual included in the shot. I love the way it manages to be both gritty and strangely elegant. The eye is drawn to the contrast between the hard, mechanical forms and the soft, almost dreamy quality of the light. It reminds me a bit of some of Bernd and Hilla Becher's photographs of industrial architecture, but with a more intimate, almost diaristic feel. It invites us to see the beauty in the mundane. It suggests that art isn't just about grand statements, but about paying attention to the world around us, and finding meaning in the everyday.