Ariel Dam, Washington [staat], Verenigde Staten: laagspanningsinstallatie 1936

This picture of the Ariel Dam low-voltage installation was taken by Wouter Cool in Washington State, USA. Look at the repetition of those pipes, like a musical score. They become abstract in their rhythmic arrangement, almost floating against the surface of the dam. What I think is really cool is how Cool has managed to turn something purely functional, like these low-voltage installations, into something visually fascinating. The image is so grey, and the pipes are so relentlessly regimented that it feels like you could just keep extending it, like an infinitely repeating loop. The framing cuts off the pipes, forcing your eye back into the composition. It reminds me of some of Bernd and Hilla Becher's work, where they photograph industrial structures. It's like Cool is saying, "Hey, even these mundane objects have a certain beauty and order to them." And I think that's something that all artists are trying to do, showing us new ways of seeing the world around us.