South Miami Beach, Florida 5 - 1994

Editor: Here we have John Harding's "South Miami Beach, Florida" from May 1994, a photograph on film. I'm struck by the reflections and the way it captures a specific time and place with this almost voyeuristic composition. What do you see in this piece, looking beyond the immediate snapshot? Curator: The prevalence of mirrors here—not just one, but multiple reflections happening—creates a compelling hall-of-mirrors effect. Consider how mirrors are age-old symbols, representing not just vanity, but portals, alternate realities, the subconscious even. Notice the reflection of a face in the left window and then, of course, the mirrored person with the bowl of fruit; it almost poses a puzzle. Do you feel invited into, or excluded from, this world? Editor: That’s a good question, excluded, I think. It's a bit claustrophobic. What about that public telephone sign in the background? Curator: Excellent catch! In the pre-cell phone era, the public phone booth served as a powerful symbol of communication and connectivity – and a clear message the image was created well before 2000! Notice how that phone image itself is cut off and incomplete. It makes us consider ideas of partial communication, lost connections, even anonymity. Given that Miami is a cultural hub, one can even make assumptions about coded ways to signal in big cities…does the work speak to memory, continuity, or loss for you? Editor: I think it's all those things together – memory and loss specifically. Thanks, that was eye opening! Curator: My pleasure! It reminds us that even seemingly simple snapshots carry deep symbolic weight.