Elektrische centrale 1931 - 1932

This photograph of an electric power station was taken by an anonymous artist. I feel for this unknown photographer, setting up their camera amidst the cold, hard machinery. I wonder what they thought about, surrounded by the turbines and pipes, the sparks and the threat of electrocution. There’s a striking contrast here between the industrial scene, and the figures of the two engineers, one standing and one crouching. What are they doing? Why are they there? Perhaps the photographer wanted to capture a sense of human life amidst the mechanical, or maybe they just happened to be there. This image also makes me think about other artists who’ve found beauty in the mundane: Bernd and Hilla Becher with their water towers, and earlier, Charles Sheeler with his factories. The anonymous photographer of this electric power station is part of that tradition, helping us see the extraordinary in the everyday.