Untitled (from the series Still Water (The River Thames, for Example)) 1999

This photograph is part of Roni Horn's series "Still Water (The River Thames, for Example)." The image presents the viewer with a direct, seemingly unaltered view of the Thames' surface. Horn employs a formal approach, emphasizing the river's chromatic variations from light amber to deep brown, and the textural complexity created by the currents. The composition challenges traditional notions of landscape photography by removing any contextual markers, focusing instead on the river's surface as a subject in itself. The formal qualities of the work invite contemplation on themes of temporality and flux, mirroring the post-structuralist idea that meaning is never fixed but constantly in motion. The absence of a horizon line further destabilizes our perception, blurring the boundaries between surface and depth. The work embodies a semiotic field where the river is a signifier, pregnant with multiple, ever-changing meanings, inviting us to reflect on the nature of representation.