Laadbak met betonijzer 1921 - 1922

This monochrome photograph by K.J. John pictures a barge filled with reinforcing steel on calm water near the shore. I find myself wondering about the photographer’s process. Did they choose this scene because of the beautiful lines of the steel bars, or were they thinking about how steel and water interact in the creation of concrete? It’s like a dialogue, isn’t it? The steel rebars piled haphazardly are almost like brushstrokes, each line telling its own tale of industry and utility. The smooth surface of the water, with the lone boat in the distance, provides a serene counterpoint to the roughness of the steel and the barge. There’s a back-and-forth that happens between the industrial and the natural here. How does that process make the image, and, in turn, how does the image change the way we see the world? Each photograph offers its own unique perspective and experience of the world.