Hitterdal, Norway. c. 1865

Curator: This is a photograph titled "Hitterdal, Norway," captured by Henry Rosling. There isn't much information about when it was taken. What strikes you first about it? Editor: Immediately, it's the stillness. It evokes a kind of pre-industrial, agrarian calm. I wonder about the communities who lived in relation to that landscape. Curator: Absolutely, and in the foreground, those stacks of hay are almost like figures, aren't they? Sentinels guarding the valley. Editor: They’re also a testament to labor, to the rhythms of harvesting and sustenance. It’s a scene rooted in specific social and economic realities. Curator: It makes you think, doesn't it, about our relationship to the land—both then and now? Editor: Precisely. And how art can help us examine those connections across time.