Plate Number 670. Ox; walking 1887

Curator: This is Plate Number 670, “Ox; walking,” a gelatin silver print made in 1887 by Eadweard Muybridge. It's part of his series capturing animal locomotion. Editor: My first thought is how unsettling it is, like something caught between science and a fever dream. The ox seems suspended in this grid, an object of study rather than a living being. Curator: Absolutely. Muybridge was driven by scientific curiosity, aiming to dissect movement visually. He used multiple cameras triggered in sequence to freeze moments imperceptible to the human eye. Think about that for a second! Editor: It’s an interesting method to analyze movement that reflects larger social dynamics concerning humans and nature in the Victorian era. It’s a lens to the colonial gaze—the way power structures dictate what is considered knowable, and how. Curator: It reminds me of an early flip book. There's beauty, of course, in his process—these little acts, these pauses where there is motion suspended become part of an intricate ballet—or an interesting choreography. It feels so human. Editor: It does—although I’d say we have to be aware about framing scientific “progress” during the era through that type of humanist lens. His photographs are still—even unintentionally—portraits of the exploitative systems inherent within photography and the use of animals. Curator: Do you think it denies that ox its intrinsic value then? Editor: It gives an impression that it does; the focus shifts from the Ox itself and emphasizes science to capture that action through a camera. To not forget that the apparatus in itself already suggests some kind of control through the gaze. But let’s be clear, my critique isn’t so simple: he's undeniably gifted, and his impact on visual culture is massive, even in contemporary terms. Curator: Well, it's fascinating to consider Muybridge’s experiment within the context of that moment of discovery – as an era of looking outward. Editor: Exactly. I mean, these photographs serve as a point of dialogue with that moment.