Piz Scerscen (on left), Gendarme in centre, The Engadine 1921

Curator: The starkness of this image really strikes me; it feels so isolating. Editor: Indeed. This is a vintage photograph by A. G. Wehrli, titled "Piz Scerscen (on left), Gendarme in centre, The Engadine." The monochromatic rendering of the Swiss Alps emphasizes the sheer materiality of ice and rock. It's almost a geological survey. Curator: The title tells us so much. "Gendarme," usually a police officer, here describes a rock formation, a sentinel of the landscape. I wonder what social or political implications were intended with this naming? Editor: Perhaps nothing overtly political, but consider the labor involved in such a landscape. The very act of photographing it presupposes equipment, transport, and leisure afforded to few. Curator: That's a crucial point. The romantic sublime is so often divorced from the material realities that enabled its capture and dissemination. Editor: Precisely. And in looking at the methods of production here, we see more than just a pretty picture; we uncover complex relationships between humans and the natural world. Curator: A useful reminder to look beyond the surface. Editor: Always.