Ontario & Western Bridge on Conrail's Ex-Erie Graham Line, Campbell Hall, New York 22 - 1990

Editor: So, this is James Welling’s "Ontario & Western Bridge on Conrail's Ex-Erie Graham Line, Campbell Hall, New York," taken in 1990. It’s a gelatin-silver print, giving it this incredible range of grays. The mood feels… melancholic? The converging lines of the tracks really draw you in. What do you see in this piece? Curator: I see layers of memory etched onto this landscape. Bridges, especially railway bridges, speak to connection, movement, and industrial progress. But here, the monochrome and the seemingly deserted tracks evoke a sense of abandonment, a fading away. Editor: Fading away… that's interesting. Like a memory slowly losing its sharpness? Curator: Exactly. Consider the O&W railroad – once vital, now a relic. The bridge becomes a powerful symbol, a vestige of a bygone era. Do you see how the structure dominates the frame, yet feels almost spectral against the pale sky? Editor: Yes, it's imposing but also…vulnerable? The bare trees add to that feeling. Is that what you mean by 'cultural memory,' this contrast between what was and what is? Curator: Precisely. And it’s not just historical memory; it’s the psychological residue that remains when progress leaves things behind. The bridge now bears a new weight: the weight of absence and potential. Do you find any hope in this image, perhaps? Editor: Hope? I suppose the tracks do continue, disappearing into the distance. So maybe a sense of ongoing legacy? Curator: Perhaps. Or perhaps, it highlights that all structures—physical, cultural, or personal—leave lingering vestiges. I’m curious how the idea of a 'relic' impacts your view of modernity. Editor: That's given me a lot to think about regarding photography's capacity to evoke shared memory through such simple structures and muted tones. Thanks! Curator: Indeed. Photography becomes more than documentation. It reveals the intricate relationship between what remains and what we've left behind.