The Interior of the Spit 2015

Curator: We're looking at "The Interior of the Spit," a gelatin-silver print made by Robert Adams in 2015. It's part of his ongoing exploration of the American West. Editor: The first thing that strikes me is how intensely tactile it feels, even though it's a photograph. You can almost feel the scratchy grass on your skin, the grit of the sand. It’s really subtle, but it’s there. Curator: It's interesting that you say tactile. Adams is often seen as quite austere. He’s not known for sentimentality. Do you see symbolism here? Editor: Yes, that interplay of light and shadow weaving through the tall grass, suggests the cycles of nature. It mirrors how human emotions and cultural narratives resurface and retreat over time. I see archetypes here—a kind of mother earth. Curator: An earth mother hiding behind realism? Adams often focused on the impact of human development on the land. He was photographing ecological damage in the American West. Is the photograph elegiac? Editor: Perhaps… look closer, it has a quieter message. The dunes and the mountain partially hidden by clouds echo permanence but also ephemerality. Everything transforms, cultures, ideologies, the actual shape of the dunes. We can be changed in all kinds of beautiful and troubling ways. The enduring symbol is that idea. It’s why landscapes stick with us. Curator: That’s a lovely thought. It allows one to reframe Adam's austere imagery to feel deeply reflective. The personal connection is stronger than the intellectual response, somehow. Editor: Exactly! A little wild and unexpected like a dream, that even the best cartography of symbols could barely trace. Thank you for leading us there!