The upper Kulu Valley at Nagar

Curator: Let's explore this photograph, "The Upper Kulu Valley at Nagar" by Frederick Saint John Gore, taken before 1895. Editor: The print is mounted on a page, like an open book, making it feel really intimate. It's also interesting to think about its existence within the context of a physical book. What do you make of the image? Curator: As a materialist, I'm immediately drawn to the photographic process. The silvery tones, the paper's texture, these aren't just aesthetic choices. Photography at this time was a specific industrial process. I see Gore carefully controlling his medium to represent the landscape of the Kulu Valley, maybe suggesting an arcadian landscape while using mass-reproducible materials and formats. How might this tension reflect colonial perceptions of India? Editor: That’s a great point about colonialism and perception. The printmaking process brings a new dimension to it, making it mass-produced while retaining a sense of preciousness. The tonal range almost renders it into a drawing. Curator: Exactly! The very act of capturing this vista via photographic print implicates a particular, consumable version of ‘India.’ How much does it change by being mass-produced into a portable product? And is the print mimicking more hand-rendered techniques? It makes us question the perceived division of photography, printmaking and ‘high art’ practices, no? Editor: Definitely! I hadn't considered the commodification aspect so directly before. So it makes me see a clash between appreciating natural beauty and the commercial lens through which it's captured and consumed. I guess both are true, aren’t they? Curator: Precisely, and seeing them in tension with each other is the crucial part. What appears seamless is revealed to be full of fractures, much like the terrain presented!