Nieuwe weg naar Odda aan de Hardangerfjord, Noorwegen 1861 - 1870

Curator: The first impression is its stillness. Although the water moves quickly, it’s frozen here. The mountains echo a similar stillness, creating a dramatic tension. Editor: This gelatin-silver print is titled "New Road to Odda on the Hardangerfjord, Norway", and it's attributed to Knud Knudsen. Dating somewhere between 1861 and 1870, this image provides insight into the expansion of infrastructure in Norway at the time. Curator: A gelatin-silver print, of course lending to the remarkable tonal range. Note the subtle gradations from the deepest blacks in the foreground rocks to the misty grays of the distant mountains. It’s the light itself that sculpts the scene. Editor: Exactly. And the road construction facilitated travel for tourists as well as commerce. How was this new road impacting those communities? What materials did they use for that bridge, and what does it mean for this natural environment to be manipulated in this way? Curator: True, and what interests me the most about the bridge's design is how its horizontal lines pull your eye into the landscape. This linear element provides a sense of structure, that intersects nature. Editor: Knudsen would have been working within very specific economic constraints. His camera, the printing process…it all affected the end product. His photographic work captured the social context that was being built and the industry's means of building that, and how it all relates to his practice and choices. Curator: Let’s not forget that Knudsen skillfully positioned himself and used the technical capacities he had at hand. Observe how he played with the contrasts, for example. See how his work captures both the monumentality and fragility of our existence? It makes for a deeply resonant photograph. Editor: Perhaps we’re each drawn to aspects that most closely mirror our concerns – yours aesthetic, mine socioeconomic, and Knudsen's commercial in some ways. Still, through each perspective we can see how culturally and economically significant the gelatin-printing process became, both nationally and transnationally. Curator: Very well said. I find myself pondering this photograph's play between natural beauty and human innovation. Editor: Indeed. It makes you consider the human imprint.