Overdekt wandelpad in Larvik, Noorwegen 1876 - 1889

Curator: Welcome, I'd like to introduce you to "Overdekt wandelpad in Larvik, Noorwegen," a gelatin silver print by Severin Worm-Petersen, taken sometime between 1876 and 1889. Editor: It has a strangely intimate quality, despite being a landscape. Almost like looking down a cloister toward an uncertain future. The muted tones contribute to that pensive mood. Curator: Worm-Petersen was active during a time when photography was still establishing itself as both an artistic medium and a means of documenting social spaces. Landscape photography often served to promote specific narratives about nature and society. Editor: Absolutely. You see here the contrast between the structured, almost bourgeois walkway and the unruly nature on either side. It speaks volumes about our impulse to tame and control the natural world, especially at that time when industry started reshaping the landscape. I see a silent push-and-pull between freedom and imposed order. Curator: The covered walkway suggests a curated experience of nature, an idealized path removed from the messiness of the real world. Consider how accessibility would have been limited, both physically and socially. Editor: This makes me question the function of such a space in Larvik during that time. Who frequented this promenade, and what kinds of activities were considered acceptable within its confines? We must think of what this place meant to marginalized bodies. What opportunities were denied? Curator: Good questions, and certainly worth investigating. It does present a sanitized, almost staged, vision of leisure. The precise geometry is certainly meant to reflect an ideal order. Editor: Which, in itself, reflects power structures and values. As we gaze into this captured moment, let's not forget the shadows it casts on those excluded from the frame. It challenges us to acknowledge those historical imbalances. Curator: A powerful reminder. Hopefully, understanding those power structures also sheds light on what is being framed for posterity, and why. Editor: Right. Understanding is essential for reshaping conversations about equity and inclusion, past and present.