Pagina 59 van fotoboek van de Algemeene Vereeniging van Rubberplanters ter Oostkust van Sumatra (A.V.R.O.S.) c. 1924 - 1925

This photograph was taken by J.W. Meyster, sometime in the early 20th century. It’s a black and white image of machinery inside the Algemeene Vereeniging van Rubberplanters factory in Sumatra. I imagine Meyster, composing the photo, thinking about geometry, light, and shadow. He’s creating a record, but also a kind of visual poetry. What was it like to be in that factory, surrounded by the smell of rubber, the clatter of machinery? I wonder if he saw the beauty in the industrial landscape like other photographers of that time did. There’s a particular wheel in the foreground, its spokes casting shadows that give it depth and presence. It reminds me of the cyclical nature of labor, the turning of gears that drive industry forward. I think about how photography, like painting, is a way of freezing a moment in time, inviting us to contemplate its significance long after it has passed.