Russian Ball, New York City 1976

Editor: This is "Russian Ball, New York City," a 1976 photograph by Larry Fink. It's a stark, black and white image of what seems to be a dinner table at a formal event. There's a real sense of…emptiness. What do you see in this piece? Curator: The emptiness you perceive is telling. I see a photograph acutely aware of its own making and the materials at play: the paper stock, the development process which renders these tones of grey. The soft focus draws attention not just to *who* is at the table, but also *how* they are positioned in a capitalist system – what is consumed, discarded, and what remains visible. Editor: Consumption? Could you expand on that? I hadn’t considered it from that angle. Curator: Absolutely. Consider the labor involved: the flower arrangements, the manufacturing of the glassware, the tailoring of the tuxedos. These elements, contrasted against the dimly lit and slightly out-of-focus composition, point to a system of production and display designed for a certain class, hiding labor under the guise of elegance. How does the disposable nature of elements on the table tie into social hierarchies? Editor: Oh, I see! Like the used glasses and napkins as remnants of privilege. The photograph isn't just *of* a ball, it’s about what such events represent, materialistically speaking. Curator: Precisely. Fink utilizes the photographic process to expose the often unseen aspects of social events: production, distribution, and disposal of the event. What initially seemed like a scene of upper class gathering now reveals itself to be very involved with the social construction of elegance. Editor: That’s fascinating. I would've initially overlooked that focus, concentrating more on the subjects, but you've brought into light so many considerations involving social elements. Curator: Materiality reframes everything, doesn’t it? Every element within the photo participates in the telling, building, and sustaining the social conditions being shown.