Sunburned GSP #492 (North Slope Alaska - 24 Hours) 2011

Editor: We are looking at "Sunburned GSP #492 (North Slope Alaska - 24 Hours)" by Chris McCaw, created in 2011. It is a photographic work, a series of panels showing what appears to be the path of the sun. It almost looks like a seismograph reading, a visual record of immense natural forces at work. What's your interpretation? Curator: Oh, I like that, a solar seismograph. It makes perfect sense, really. McCaw literally lets the sun burn its image onto the light-sensitive paper. It’s aggressive, almost violent, and beautiful. You see that ragged, broken line etched across the panels? It's the sun’s path, scorching the emulsion away. Makes you think about time, endurance, and the sheer power of something we often take for granted. The stark landscape of the North Slope only amplifies the feeling. Does that rawness resonate with you? Editor: It does, especially the idea of recording time so directly. I mean, it’s not just capturing an image; it's a physical reaction, a chemical change caused by light. Like sunspots on skin! Curator: Exactly! The imperfection is the point, the scar tissue of light. You feel the brutal exposure, that continuous, unyielding presence. It's the landscape marking itself. Editor: That’s powerful, almost meditative. Before, I just saw an abstract pattern, but now I see something really profound. Thanks for shining a light on it! Curator: The pleasure's all mine! Art should be an unfolding experience. And besides, any day you get to talk about solar aggression is a good day, I reckon.