Sluices and salmon ladders at outlet of Loch Katrine before 1889

Editor: This photograph, “Sluices and salmon ladders at outlet of Loch Katrine,” was taken by T. & R. Annan & Sons sometime before 1889. I find the stillness of the water almost dreamlike, yet there's also a strong sense of human intervention on the landscape. What stories do you think this image is trying to tell us? Curator: The key to understanding this image lies in the confluence of nature and industry. Note the repeating forms: the arches of the sluices mirrored by the curves of the salmon ladders. The formal composition gives a rational, almost classical, aesthetic. Look also how the image's grey-scale tonality emphasizes how human development coexists, sometimes harmoniously, sometimes not, with the natural environment. It brings the archetypes of nature and mankind into sharp contrast, forcing us to question each one's effects on the other. The Ladders symbolize humankind trying to accommodate our industrial footprint so nature can thrive. What comes to mind when you see such a potent arrangement? Editor: I suppose it points to the enduring tension, and sometimes, reconciliation, between our ambition to engineer and control the natural world and our dependence on it. Is there anything significant about salmon as the animal needing accommodation here? Curator: Salmon themselves are potent symbols! They represent perseverance and instinct; think about their relentless journey upstream to spawn. Consider also how their presence is indicative of a healthy ecosystem, and their ladders here take on new significance in this environmental narrative, and humankind's role to facilitate nature to thrive. They represent sacrifice, but perhaps one with great benefit to human sustainability. Editor: That’s a completely different perspective than what I initially considered; thanks, that gives me a lot to think about regarding the interconnectedness of such ideas through this artwork!