Ocean Parkway c. 1978

Curator: Here we have Eric Baden's "Ocean Parkway," a black and white photograph housed at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: There's a haunting stillness about it. The monochrome palette gives it a timeless quality, almost like looking at a forgotten place. Curator: Baden's choice to depict such a seemingly desolate landscape could be a commentary on human intervention and its impact on the natural world. Editor: Do you think the absence of people is intentional, perhaps emphasizing the vulnerability and precarity of the environment in the face of climate change and development? Curator: It certainly prompts us to consider the role of photography in documenting and shaping our perception of these environments, highlighting the politics of how we choose to represent them. Editor: Indeed. Baden's work invites us to question the narratives we construct around landscapes and our place within them. Curator: It's a striking piece that compels us to reflect on our relationship with the world around us.