Vogel op nest 1900 - 1930

Editor: Here we have Richard Tepe's "Vogel op nest" – or "Bird on Nest" – a gelatin silver print, made sometime between 1900 and 1930. The realism feels immediate, capturing an intimate moment. What strikes me is the composition – almost entirely composed of natural elements. What's your perspective on this? Curator: I see the photograph less as a capture of untouched nature and more as an intentional construction through materials and processes. Consider the labor involved in both the bird's nest and the photographic process. The bird gathers and arranges materials, demonstrating skill. Similarly, the photographer uses chemicals and light to create an image, engaging in a different, but no less significant, form of material manipulation. Editor: So, you're seeing the making of the nest and the making of the photo as related? Curator: Precisely. And consider the role of the gelatin-silver print itself. It is not a neutral window onto reality but a specific, industrially produced medium with its own inherent properties. How does the materiality of this gelatin silver print influence its perception, and the consumption of this imagery? It allows a potentially fleeting moment to persist and be endlessly reproduced. What does the process tell us about art and value? Editor: I hadn't really thought about the choice of materials in that way – considering both the bird and Tepe as workers in their own right! It's made me rethink the artistry on display here. Curator: Hopefully it has broadened your understanding about production and consumption, not just art appreciation. Editor: Definitely! Thanks for sharing such a perspective.