Pleasures and Terrors of Levitation #481 1954

Editor: This is Aaron Siskind's "Pleasures and Terrors of Levitation #481," created in 1954 using a gelatin silver print. It’s stark – almost ghostly. What are your thoughts? Curator: My first thought is about the production of this image. Siskind’s darkroom practice is key. We must consider the materiality of the gelatin silver print itself. How does that particular process influence the final stark contrast? Editor: That's interesting. I was focused on the subject matter – the figure in what seems like freefall. Curator: But the 'subject matter' isn't simply a figure, is it? It's the body itself, reduced to shapes through manipulation of light and shadow, enabled by photographic techniques of the era. What socio-cultural values do you see in that process of abstraction? What does Siskind aim to expose? Editor: I hadn't considered that…it almost seems to disconnect the body from its inherent meaning and identity. I suppose the title could imply ideas about physical freedom...and the threat implied within that. Is it possible that Siskind is pushing back against the art establishment of his time by prioritizing this darkroom labor? Curator: Precisely! He challenges the separation of 'high art' and the craft involved in photographic processing. The labor becomes integral. What kind of audience, enjoying what kind of social-economical privileges, would engage with that questioning of boundaries? How did those considerations frame the reception of Siskind’s abstract expressionism? Editor: That reframing really changes my perception. It makes me think about the act of image-making, and the statement that choice of materials can make. Curator: Indeed. Considering the socio-economic environment behind any work provides a deeper understanding of its cultural impact.