Muizenberg (Sea View), 2003 2007

Curator: This is John Riddy's "Muizenberg (Sea View)," taken in 2003. Editor: It feels strangely…empty. A quiet stillness, despite being a seaside vista. Curator: The composition is rigorously structured. Riddy has centered the view, using the converging lines of the street to guide the eye. The light, too, is diffused and even, minimizing shadows. Editor: Yes, but the faded pastels of the buildings evoke a sense of faded glory, a melancholy beauty. I'm drawn to the almost cinematic atmosphere. It feels like a stage set, waiting for something to happen. Curator: It is a study in the relationship between urban space and the natural environment. See how the orthogonal lines of the built environment contrast with the organic curve of the coastline. Editor: I notice that the sea is barely there, just a horizon line. The symbolic power shifts to the man-made elements: the lampposts, the buildings, even the trashcan. Curator: A keen observation. Riddy asks us to contemplate how we frame and organize our world. Editor: It makes me think about how places accumulate memory. Thanks for this image, its muted tones are still buzzing in my mind.