Photographs of well-captured mountains have always captivated me with their unique sense of moment; a moment that is forever captured in a photograph that serves as a time capsule that can bring us closer to the beauties or ruins of the past much more than anything.
Time is an unclear magnitude in our lives in cities, villages, or suburbs, and it is no different in the mountains, where it may sometimes seem that time is passing much faster. Can this be explained physically, or is it just our mental busy that we set out from the foot of the mountain in the morning and end up at the peak in the afternoon? And how can we incorporate terrain photos into the question of time? Can changes be identified when photographing the same place in one day?
Robert MacFarlane in his book Mountains of the Mind mentions a concept known as the „concept of deep time“, first introduced by the writer John Angus McPhee in his book Basin and Range (1981) and this concept represents a time that goes deep into history beyond our human perception and especially human life, in short, something that was long before mankind, regardless of our origin. Mountains are products that go back trillions of years, and more than anything have been shaped by time.
Therefore, in my research, I will try (especially on our field trip) to apply the method of photographing the terrain and mountain peaks and to locate certain changes. As for the sources that will support my research – I do not have it so clear yet, but I believe that after gaining a deeper knowledge from reading, I will be able to at least partially clarify the above questions and solve the dichotomy of perception of time in the mountains vs. perception of time in the city. In conclusion, perhaps I can only offer the poem by Emily Dickinson, who in a few words was able to deftly describe how mountains are „grandfather of the days“.
The Mountain by Emily Dickinson
The mountain sat upon the plain
In his eternal chair,
His observation omnifold,
His inquest everywhere.
The seasons prayed around his knees,
Like children round a sire:
Grandfather of the days is he,
Of dawn the ancestor.
4 responses to “Time and the Mountains”
I really love the concept! It sis a great idea actually, and I look forward to see the result! Mixing photography mountain and time is very smart and at the same time, provocating something powerful in the imagination. Big up++ for the Dickinson poem 😉
Oh thank you, my dear 🙂 I feel a certain amount of responsibility on my shoulders, so I hope it will at least partially satisfy your curiosity 😀
Emily Dickinson is one of my favourite poets. I’m looking forward to see what you want to portray and the connection you made between her poem 🙂
Great that seems like a good direction!
The aim is clear, ambitious, yet doable. In your fiel research, I’m curious about the objects and landscapes you will pick and capture. I feel that the focus / angle / light etc. etc. can make a single place speak in thousand different ways… so it would be good to reflect on some theory of photography and landscape photography especially…
I’d like to see some sources listed, though. Please look around sources concerning relevant disciplines, there will be plenty of secondary sources on documentary photography vs. photography and art, semiotics and semantics of photography etc. My favourite pick would be the classic Walter Benjamin and his “Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction” or some comments on that essay dealine with the essence of authenticity (what he calls “aura”).
Can the non-representational theory and photography blend? That’s a big question that lurks around this project and a one I would like you to comment on eventually.