The Redwood and the Raven 2004

Editor: This is "The Redwood and the Raven" by Trisha Donnelly, it’s a photograph. The stark black and white creates a really striking image, and it makes me think a lot about the person photographed and the labor that went into this piece, especially the dark room process. What stands out to you? Curator: The materiality of the photograph itself is compelling. Look at the textures: the redwood bark, the silky dress, the paper’s surface. Donnelly is highlighting not just what's depicted but also how it's made. How does this interplay of textures affect your interpretation of the subject? Editor: It's like the physical world and the represented world are colliding. Thinking about it, it blurs the line between subject and object, doesn’t it? Curator: Precisely. Donnelly asks us to consider the act of image-making as a form of labor, and to understand the means of production as part of the artwork’s meaning.