[Lyonel Feininger looking through binoculars on beach, Graal or Rügen, Baltic Coast] 1905

Curator: This is a rather enigmatic photograph by Julia Feininger titled "[Lyonel Feininger looking through binoculars on beach, Graal or Rügen, Baltic Coast]." Editor: It feels quite stark. Almost ghostly, with that figure isolated on the beach. The tonal inversions give it a surreal quality. Curator: Yes, she's captured her father, the artist Lyonel Feininger, seemingly lost in observation. What's fascinating to me is thinking about Julia herself, behind the camera. Editor: Right, what was her process? This looks like a photographic negative, which suggests a particular kind of darkroom practice, a material engagement with the image-making. Curator: It’s almost as if we are looking through Julia's eyes at her father looking into the distance; a double layering of observation. He is looking at something, she is looking at him. Editor: Ultimately, it's a family portrait of sorts, mediated through technology and material processes. It speaks to the complex layers of relationships. Curator: Beautifully put. It's a piece that invites us to consider not just what is seen, but who is seeing, and how.