Bowdoin College Museum of Art |

Preview image of work. gelatin silver print, Kettle Valley #78 19375

2010.1

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Kettle Valley #78

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Artist

Mark Ruwedel (Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, 1954 - )

Title

Kettle Valley #78

Creation Date

2003

Century

early 21st century

Dimensions

24 in. x 28 in. (60.96 cm x 71.12 cm)

Classification

Photographs

Creation Place

North America, United States

Medium and Support

gelatin silver print

Credit Line

Museum Purchase, Gridley W. Tarbell II Fund and the Lloyd O. and Marjorie Strong Coulter Fund

Copyright

This artwork may be under copyright. For further information, please consult the Museum’s Copyright Terms and Conditions.

Accession Number

2010.1

In this photograph, a narrow and obstructed vanishing point crumbles at the end of broken railroad tracks, framed by rock formations that slope downward and lead to the forest in the background. The contrasts of light and dark create a discernible separation between the trees and the tracks and establishes an opposition between the natural world and the remains of human activity. It seems as though the trees are reclaiming the land that had once been invaded by anthropogenic endeavors. Photographing areas like the dilapidated railway lines in Kettle Valley was a nostalgic venture that Mark Ruwedel took on with aims to depict the ruins of our nation. He also wanted to highlight how the futile and ephemeral pursuits of industry leave scars upon the land. However, Ruwedel also captures sublime nature in the background, which is gradually moving toward to the foreground. Kettle Valley shows a haunting reminder of the past, but also presents hope for the future.