This past weekend we caught the last day of a photo exhibit at the Preus Museum, the national museum of photography, located here in Horten. The museum is located in a large, old naval artillery storage facility at Karljohansvern, site of the town's naval base and former wharf. The cavernous interior makes for a great art gallery, and I had a lot of fun photographing within the space! The Preus Museum has a permanent display of cameras and photo equipment, a large library--everything dedicated to photography and the history of it.
The featured exhibit we were eager to see was called New Topographics, recreated from an original 1970's collection shown at George Eastman House in New York. The collection was a unique take on landscape photography, where the focus is on what man has made and done to the landscape.
Sometimes aesthetically pleasing, other times disturbing because of what man has done to the landscape in negative ways. All very clinically, neutrally presented, leaving it to the viewer to decide whether there was an inherent beauty in the landscape or what man did to it. Something to think about, what we do to the landscape...
With love.
What a wonderful building and interesting exhibit!!! There are so many things done to this planet that are upsetting to think about. But ownership of land and all the entails I think is overall "good."
Posted by: Mr. Puffy | June 07, 2011 at 01:27 AM
It certainly looks like a perfect gallery space. The exhibit is something I would very much like to see.
Posted by: P.K. | June 07, 2011 at 02:25 AM
The light in the bottom photo is compelling ...
Posted by: S. Etole | June 07, 2011 at 05:51 AM
What a thought provoking exhibit. I saw dairy fields turned into housing estates as a kid in the Cotswolds and thought it was wrong and not in keeping with the surrounding fields. Since then more buildings have grown up and towns have become larger, so it is hard to see what the landscape once looked like. I try to imagine the steep hills as they once were covered in grass. There seems to be a presumption of progress in the word "development" but I'm not sure that is necessarily the case. I'm glad there are groups like the National Trust which bought land in order to protect it from being built on.
Posted by: Houseelf | June 07, 2011 at 11:56 AM
Tracy, very interesting!! I like the last picture of the window - the light there is really fabulous with the green trees behind - that's something that speaks to me :-) sending love!
Posted by: Birdie | June 07, 2011 at 02:26 PM
I also love that last photo!
Your last line made me think of a tv show that I like to watch called House Hunters International. I love seeing the homes in amazing locales, but so often when they are filming on a beautiful island, I think about what the island must have looked like before all the condos started being built. It's sad.
Posted by: Gayle | June 07, 2011 at 02:44 PM
The interior makes me feel like it's underground. Even living on a small island like mine, landscape is constantly changing and without photographs it's hard to remember what used to be. Welcome back Tracy.
Posted by: clara | June 07, 2011 at 03:06 PM
How fascinating! I would love visiting a museum to focuses on photography. Welcome Home!
Posted by: Marilyn | June 07, 2011 at 07:54 PM
What an amazing space! I love the idea of contemplating what we do to the landscape and our poor planet. We really don't think about these things enough. Thanks for sharing Tracy! Hope you've had a lovely day x x
Posted by: Kerri | June 08, 2011 at 08:29 AM
what a beautiful space ..love all the angles curves bricks and light ..always a joy to stop by to say hello ...back soon my friend~
Posted by: elk | June 08, 2011 at 01:22 PM
You are featured on my candle blog today.....
Posted by: Becky K. | June 08, 2011 at 01:24 PM
Welcome back Tracy! This looks like an interesting place for this exhibit!
Posted by: Lynda | June 08, 2011 at 09:39 PM
Welcome back Tracy. Here I am visiting you again at last! What a super exhibition! Glad you had a lovely time away with family.
Posted by: sheila | June 08, 2011 at 10:19 PM
What a fabulous building - it looks perfectly suited for a museum!
It does sound like a thought-provoking exhibit, especially if presented neutrally so the viewer could decide. I would like to see it.
Posted by: elizabeth | June 09, 2011 at 03:51 AM
The whole setting for this museum is really neat -- the cavernous feeling and the way the displays are grouped. Worth the (short) trip, right?
Posted by: Jodi | June 09, 2011 at 11:25 AM
What an impressive building Tracy. It reminds me of the Cellarium of Fountains Abbey...I think it is the shape of the room in the second photograph.
How wonderful to have such a great mueseum on your doorstep.
Marie x
Posted by: Wild Rose | June 09, 2011 at 02:12 PM
Welcome back Tracy!
The museum building is so impressive. I would love to visit the exhibition on landscape architecture.
The window picture is beautiful. I once photographed all sorts of windows for a project. Such fun!
Posted by: nicolette | June 09, 2011 at 07:37 PM
Dearest sweet tracy, such a beautiful building and very interesting exhibition! I wish i could be there! Loving that last photo too! Have a lovely merry happy day sweet friend! Love to you!
Posted by: Jacqueline | June 10, 2011 at 05:10 AM
Quite an interesting building, Tracey. Beautiful arched ceilings! It must have been fun to photograph :-) Hugs from Vancouver
Posted by: Anyes - Far Away In The Sunshine | June 10, 2011 at 07:28 AM
The gallery's space is so intriguing, Tracy. A place worth wandering about for sure.
Posted by: nikkipolani | June 10, 2011 at 03:55 PM
Fascinting exhibit Tracy. You always do the most interesting things! I love the very last picture of all. I miss it when you are away and you are not able to post. So good to see one from you again! I hope that we can catch up with each other soon! I send you oodles of love and hugs. Hope the jet lag is all done and dusted now! xxoo
Posted by: Marie | June 13, 2011 at 09:22 AM