As suggested by its title, Pipe Opening (2002) depicts a hole in a wood wall exposed by the removal of a pipe. In contrast to his signature immense tableaux, Pipe Opening is a direct but modest document of a “real” scene that Wall “encountered by chance” in daily life. However factual, the image indicates certain enigmatic significance, allowing multiple interpretations. Wall encourages the viewer to engage with the scenario to imagine the before and the after of the moment. Compared to his earlier work, Wall’s photographs appear to be straight-up snapshots, exhibiting less manipulative details. The fictional details are not conveyed through obvious arrangements but due to the very nature of photographs: What they record is always an incomplete view of the world.