Hal met machines van suikerfabriek Goedo te Djombang op Java c. 1925 - 1930

This photographic artwork documents Hal meeting machines at the Goedo sugar factory in Djombang, Java. I imagine Isken standing in the factory with a camera and looking at all this industrial stuff, probably with a feeling of awe, trying to capture the hugeness of it all, the scale of production and the labor it would have taken to create such a thing. The pipes almost look like a drawing, lines intersecting and leading your eye through the picture plane. I can't help but think of the artist who made this and wonder what it was like. Were they happy with what they made? What was the sugar used for? How did it get from the factory to people's plates? There’s so much that isn’t explicitly said but is very much implied by the subject matter and industrial process. The photograph is sepia-toned which feels like looking into the past. The texture, in a way, acts like a gesture that communicates feelings, intentions and meanings through the artwork. I’m always thinking about how artists are in an ongoing conversation and exchange of ideas, inspiring one another’s creativity across time.