Untitled (man next to Air Force plane) c. 1950

Curator: The sense of scale is almost overwhelming here. This untitled photograph by Jack Gould features a man standing before a row of U.S. Air Force planes. Editor: Yes, the immensity of the planes certainly gives the image a feeling of power, but the man's posture suggests a kind of submission. Curator: I wonder if the man's position suggests something about cultural memory and the projection of military strength and control? Editor: Or perhaps it simply reflects the labor and resources involved in maintaining such machinery. The very materiality of the planes—the metal, the paint—speaks to a vast industrial complex. Curator: That's true, and even the empty, clear sky adds to the sense of unlimited potential, mirroring the ambition symbolized by the planes. Editor: I still come back to the human element though. The worker's stance, the vast expanse of the airfield—it all points to a very real, material context for this projection of power. Curator: An interesting tension, then, between the symbolic and the tangible. Editor: Indeed. It's a stark reminder that even the most grandiose symbols are rooted in physical realities.