Canecutter in bedrijf 1917 - 1938

Editor: So, this gelatin silver print is titled *Canecutter in bedrijf*, made sometime between 1917 and 1938 by Otto Hisgen. The subject matter seems to be industrial, with some sort of pulpy material filling a trough or container. What immediately strikes me is its documentary feel, but I wonder how much it says about the people involved in this labor. How do you interpret this work? Curator: That's a great starting point. Given the period, early to mid 20th century, and the industrial setting, it's important to consider the socio-economic context. The rise of industry profoundly affected labor practices and social structures. This photograph presents a fascinating viewpoint. Instead of glorifying progress, as many images of industry at the time did, Hisgen seems to show us something raw and perhaps alienating. The sugarcane processing is captured, but where are the canecutters? Editor: That absence is what I find intriguing and a little unsettling. The photograph seems to focus on the transformation of the raw material but perhaps also obscures the labor. Curator: Exactly! It invites questions about the representation of work and workers. Did Hisgen make a conscious decision to exclude them? Could it be a comment on the dehumanizing aspect of industrial processes, reducing people to unseen cogs in the machinery? Considering how museums, galleries and even art photography have historically depicted labor, this absence could also point to a broader, intentional trend. Why are workers so often unseen? Editor: That's a really powerful perspective. I hadn't considered the curatorial or art historical implications of what’s *not* being shown. This is definitely much more than just a record of sugarcane processing. Curator: Indeed. Thinking about whose stories get told – and whose don’t – fundamentally changes our understanding of images like this. Editor: I’ll certainly be considering the 'unseen' a lot more in the future. Thanks!