Gezicht op een rivierbedding met spoorweg, spoorbrug en velden in de Anaikloof op Sumatra c. 1900 - 1920

This photograph of a riverbed with a railway, bridge and fields in Sumatra was taken by Christiaan Benjamin Nieuwenhuis. What strikes me is the way it shows, or rather implies, how we change the land. I mean, look at the top, the dense, verdant forest and then, moving down, the harsh geometry of the fields. The tones are muted, almost monochromatic, giving it a timeless, documentary feel. The eye is drawn to the constructed elements. You can see the railway snaking across the landscape, a testament to human ingenuity and our urge to connect and control. Then the bridge, a delicate web of engineering, contrasts with the unyielding force of the river. And below, the fields, meticulously arranged into a grid, a symbol of cultivation and order. It reminds me of some of the Land Artists from the 60's and 70's, like Robert Smithson. But instead of art, this is agriculture, the same concerns, just a different intention. I guess the conversation between humans and the land will continue to evolve, it's up to us to find ways of seeing that acknowledge the exchange.