Yo Yo Ride [unique trial proof] 1986

Editor: So, this is Jane Dickson's "Yo Yo Ride," a 1986 etching. The whole piece has this really eerie, almost dreamlike quality to it. All greyscale, capturing this dizzying, whirling machine. How do you interpret this work? Curator: Eerie is spot on. For me, it’s all about that queasy mix of exhilaration and danger, you know? Dickson's work often captures these fleeting, gritty moments of urban life, those after-dark, slightly surreal experiences. There's this sense of detachment too; are we observers, or are we in that whirling chaos? Think of Coney Island, or Times Square in that era... Did you pick up on the implied soundscape too? Editor: I didn’t think about sound, but now that you mention it, I almost hear that chaotic mix of screams and mechanical whirring. It feels very anxious! Curator: Exactly! It’s that tightrope walk between the pleasurable and the unsettling that I think she nails so well. And technically, that roughness of the etching helps convey that raw feeling, don't you think? It’s not clean or polished, mirroring the subject matter. Reminds me of a memory half-formed and a little unsettling. What stays with you most? Editor: That "memory half-formed" bit really clicks. It’s like a fragmented, distorted childhood joy. I’m definitely seeing Dickson’s urban landscape in a completely new light now. Thanks! Curator: My pleasure! Always a fresh perspective to find when you bring those initial feelings and technical details together.