Victoria Avenue/Grandview, Mar Vista Possibly 1995 - 1996

Madoka Takagi captured this photograph titled Victoria Avenue/Grandview, Mar Vista, using gelatin silver print, a popular photographic process involving a suspension of silver salts in gelatin. Takagi's choice of gelatin silver print is interesting, especially when we consider the history of photographic processes. Its distinctive tonal range, with subtle gradations from light to dark, allows Takagi to highlight the play of light and shadow among the trees and urban infrastructure. The decision to use photography, and a specific photographic process such as gelatin silver print, is tied to wider social issues of labor, politics, and consumption. The labor involved in the production process includes not only the artist's skill in capturing the image, but also the work of the darkroom technicians, printers, and suppliers who manufacture the materials used in the process. Considering materials, making, and context is vital to understanding the full meaning of an artwork, thereby blurring traditional boundaries between fine art and craft.