Pagina 92 van fotoboek van de Algemeene Vereeniging van Rubberplanters ter Oostkust van Sumatra (A.V.R.O.S.) c. 1924 - 1925

Editor: This is page 92 from a photo album by J.W. Meyster, dating from around 1924-1925. It's a gelatin silver print of what appears to be a cooperage. The sheer number of barrels gives a feeling of industry. What's striking about it to you? Curator: Well, focusing on the materiality, doesn’t it make you think about the relationship between resource extraction, labour and the final product? The photo, documenting barrel production on a Sumatran rubber plantation, shows the intersection of material resources – likely timber sourced locally – and the colonial project. How does the labor depicted tie into a global market? Editor: I hadn't considered the colonial context so directly. So, you are saying that each barrel produced speaks volumes about the rubber industry's dependence on both materials and labor in Sumatra. Is the photograph thus also hinting at this story? Curator: Precisely. We're seeing the machinery of a colonial system. Consider also, the act of photographing: a technology brought to bear on documenting and, arguably, validating this whole enterprise. How might that influence our interpretation? Editor: It's a good point. The very process of creating this photograph—choosing what to capture, framing the scene—reflects a particular viewpoint tied to that colonial project. I am beginning to realize the camera is a silent tool in a grand scheme of commodity production and labour exploitation. Thank you for opening my eyes. Curator: Absolutely. By examining the materials, processes, and socio-economic context, we reveal layers of meaning in this seemingly simple image, acknowledging its complicity but also gaining awareness.