Jackie Jumps a Bench 1938

Curator: This is Harold Edgerton's "Jackie Jumps a Bench." The work, residing here at the Harvard Art Museums, captures a fleeting moment using stroboscopic photography. Editor: It's a ghost of a jump, isn't it? The bench appears solid and still, while the dog's form dissolves into a sequence of ghostly traces. Curator: Indeed. Edgerton's work reveals the invisible. The dog in motion becomes a symbol of transformation. It's more than just a picture of a dog; it's about the passage of time made visible. Editor: And about control, too. The strobe isolates and dissects the jump, pinning it down for observation. It’s a scientific gaze, but on something so free as a dog in mid-air. Does that raise questions of power for you? Curator: It does. The symbol is never neutral. The stroboscopic effect renders a familiar action otherworldly. In a way, the dog's repeated form becomes an archetype of agility. Editor: Yes, and thinking about power, it also highlights the way certain bodies – animal bodies, in this case – are so often subjected to our observation and experimentation. Curator: Ultimately, it's a dance between science and art, control and freedom. It’s fascinating to consider the enduring appeal of this frozen moment. Editor: It makes me think about how we capture and categorize experience. Thanks for sharing your perspective.