Untitled (from the series Still Water (The River Thames, for Example)) 1999

Editor: This is an untitled photograph from the series "Still Water (The River Thames, for Example)" by Roni Horn, taken in 1999. It’s a photo of the surface of water, and what strikes me is how tactile it feels, despite being a photograph. What do you see in this piece? Curator: I’m drawn to how Horn has engaged with the materiality of the River Thames through photography. We often consider the romantic or picturesque in art, but here, Horn focuses on the tangible properties of water itself and, by extension, the labor involved in capturing it. Consider the process of taking the photograph – the artist's positioning, the equipment used, and the subsequent printing. Editor: That's a great point about the labor. It’s not just about the aesthetic of the water, but the means of production behind the image. Do you think the location - the Thames - plays into this at all? Curator: Absolutely. The Thames is historically significant, not just as a waterway for trade and transport, but also as a dumping ground. The river’s history is interwoven with the history of London’s labor and consumption. By repeatedly photographing the same subject, Horn prompts us to consider what is literally *in* the water and what is extracted *from* it. She is emphasizing that relationship of the means of production. The image becomes more than just the image. Editor: So, by documenting the Thames in this way, she's revealing something about the economic and social currents running through the city itself? Curator: Precisely. Horn uses photography not just to represent, but to investigate the complex relationships between environment, labor, and material culture. Editor: I never thought about it that way. It’s made me reconsider what goes into even the simplest photograph. Curator: It really makes us value the relationship between art, environment, labor and materials.