Untitled [New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, 2005] Possibly 2005 - 2010

Curator: Here we have Richard Misrach’s "Untitled [New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, 2005]", likely taken between 2005 and 2010. Editor: This photograph is startling. The wreckage of the fallen tree, the house in disrepair, and those two red flags… it evokes a feeling of complete devastation. What draws your eye to it? Curator: Immediately, it's the relationship between the natural disaster and the built environment, especially the materials chosen to signify both – the broken wood and the brick rendered worthless. The labor that went into constructing this home, versus the destructive force of nature. Do you see a contradiction there? Editor: Definitely. All that work, the very concrete and practical effort of building a home, and nature just tears through it. What about those red cloths, do you think they're just debris? Curator: I don’t believe so, no. They draw attention to the materiality of the photograph itself, reminding us of the act of witnessing. It highlights a crucial relationship to me – between the consumption of news images and the actual lived experience of disaster. There's a very deliberate act of "framing" by Misrach here. What about the sign, though? Editor: "Lost Our Asses." Brutal, but honest. Maybe someone decided they'd rather have an outlet to write on a block, rather than just stay idle. And, of course, if we apply the Materialist reading, it highlights how people repurpose debris to communicate. Curator: Exactly. This makes it a particularly resonant piece of postmodern environmental art. I've noticed new relationships within the composition through that conversation, haven't you? Editor: Absolutely! It is interesting to explore art using real materials. I had never given it much thought.