Agricultural Pivot, San Luis Valley, near the Great Sand Dune, Colorado 1990

Editor: This is Emmet Gowin's "Agricultural Pivot, San Luis Valley, near the Great Sand Dune, Colorado" from 1990. It’s a photograph, seemingly taken from the air. It feels strangely both natural and artificial… this big circle imposed on the landscape. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Well, first off, notice the stark division within the circle itself. It almost resembles a pie chart, doesn't it? Halved, light and dark. But it's more than just a geometric composition. It’s the yin and yang of cultivated land: one side active, one side fallow perhaps, or damaged. These cultivated circles echo ancient mandalas and labyrinths, archetypal symbols of order and humanity's imprint on nature. What feelings arise as you compare this photo with others in the gallery? Editor: I hadn’t thought of it that way – the yin and yang, that makes sense with the tones. I'm just wondering why Gowin chose this subject. Curator: Think about the context. He photographed extensively in areas affected by human intervention – agriculture, military testing. The circle is a repeating symbol, as well as irrigation – representing not only control, but vulnerability, hinting at a broader narrative of our relationship with the environment and raising urgent questions. How might this contrast make a political point about land use? Editor: So, the circle, normally a symbol of wholeness, becomes a sign of potential disruption. I'm going to be thinking differently about landscape photography now! Curator: Indeed. Visual signs always connect us to wider collective and unconscious meanings.