Untitled (men working on machinery digging into street) 1947

Editor: This is an untitled photograph by Jack Gould, showing men working on machinery digging into a street. It's a small print, almost like a snapshot. What strikes me is the focus on the process of labor. What do you see here? Curator: The means of production are central. The image isn't romanticizing work, but showing us the raw materiality and labor involved. It invites us to consider the social context of this work. What kind of work do you think it is and where might they be? Editor: I'm not sure, maybe road construction? It makes me consider how this process has changed over time. Curator: Exactly, think about the consumption and the social cost of the work then and now.