The River’s Edge 2015

Editor: Robert Adams’s “The River’s Edge,” taken in 2015. It's a photograph, stark in its black and white tones, presenting what seems to be a piece of driftwood resting on a shore. It feels melancholic, yet still has a quiet strength to it. How do you interpret this work? Curator: "Melancholic, yet strong" – I like that! You know, sometimes I think of Adams' photos as visual haikus. They offer such a concentrated dose of observation. For me, the real punch of this piece is in the texture. Run your eyes across it...The smooth sand leading to that incredible gnarl of driftwood—it's like a map of time itself. What does the driftwood *say* to you? Editor: I see a discarded piece, kind of washed up and unwanted. Maybe a reminder of the relentless power of nature and how things decay. Curator: Ah, decay… but is it *just* decay? Maybe it is rebirth as well. That wood, smoothed and shaped, it has a story, wouldn't you agree? A tale of currents and tides... I love how he frames this lonely, intimate scene, placing a spotlight on what often goes unnoticed. It elevates the mundane, somehow. Editor: It definitely makes me see the beach differently. I'd usually just walk right past something like that. Curator: And that, my friend, is the power of art. To nudge our perception, to let us consider new perspectives and perhaps, see a deeper resonance with the world around us. Editor: I guess even in something as simple as a washed-up log, there's a story worth exploring. Curator: Exactly! The quieter the image, the louder its secrets. Thanks for taking a walk down to *The River's Edge* with me!