Gezicht op het Kidron-dal, Israël 1903

This stereoscopic card shows the Valley of Kidron in Israel, sometime around the turn of the 20th century. It was produced by Richard Sochor. Imagine Sochor setting up his camera, composing the scene, thinking about light and shadow. The photo offers a dual perspective, creating a sense of depth that mirrors our own binocular vision. What might he have been thinking as he captured this ancient landscape? The textures of the rocks, the way the light catches the surface, and the shadows which carve into the rocks – each element communicates the weight of history and the forces of nature. There is also the more recent history of photography, of course! How the chemical processing creates a range of tones and gradients. As artists, we're all in conversation, riffing off what came before. Sochor's exploration of light and form reminds me of some paintings, and this work inspires me to keep searching for new ways to see and represent the world, embracing the unexpected and the ambiguous, allowing for multiple perspectives.