Gezicht op de baai van Saint Andrews before 1884

Editor: So, this is a fascinating image; it's a collotype, a print, of a photograph called "Gezicht op de baai van Saint Andrews" or "View of St. Andrews Bay" created before 1884 by J. Dryburgh. It looks to me like the beach meets the sky and could speak to nature’s harsh beauty, with washed out tones hinting at desolation. What's your initial reaction? Curator: It evokes in me a profound sense of temporal passage. Consider the collotype itself - a process involving photographic negatives transferred to a gelatin surface and then printed, resulting in a nuanced image. The image of St Andrews bay then shows not only the literal location, but speaks about photography's capacity to capture moments only fleetingly visible to the human eye. The soft grey tones almost appear spectral and ephemeral. I feel a real connection to place, perhaps because the landscape makes me contemplate its history, it makes me question; What stories has this bay witnessed over the centuries? What about you? What connections did you make to nature’s desolation? Editor: I suppose I see the collotype technique giving an archival quality to the work; perhaps highlighting photography as an evocative time capsule. With regards to "desolation" my thoughts were merely responding to the seemingly barren landscape - especially near what could be a pier with only few figures. This brings up something however; what draws you in most regarding this landscape and the stories it might hold? Curator: Precisely that – the seemingly barren landscape is itself so rich. Consider the quiet stoicism of the beach and ocean meeting…the horizon seems not just an endpoint but an invitation. And those few figures! Notice their scale relative to the expanse, and reflect upon our existence amidst the vastness of the world. So much possibility held there I would argue. Editor: It's interesting to view these details from a place of possibility, as my thoughts jumped directly to emptiness or sadness. I never considered these possibilities until this very moment, thanks! Curator: Likewise, you helped me to more critically assess the technical aspect of this fascinating piece, its materiality, to see how that enhances Dryburgh's artistic vision!