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On Wonder and Witnessing

Peterson Recto

When George Cooke painted an image of tourists awestruck by north Georgia’s Tallulah Falls in 1841, the natural wonder was already a major attraction. You can see that painting in the focused exhibition “On Wonder and Witnessing at Tallulah Falls” at the Georgia Museum of Art through January 12. Cooke’s image appears alongside Caitlin Peterson’s contemporary photographs of the area to raise questions about what, exactly, a natural wonder is.

Just two years before Cooke painted his image, the U.S. government had forcibly expelled the Cherokee Indians from this region. The area became a popular resort during the 19th century, then the site of a dam and hydroelectric facility in the early 20th century. The dam reduced the size of the falls, but the remaining gorge is awe inspiring. Georgia’s state librarian named it one of the “Seven Natural Wonders of Georgia” in 1926, and it remains a popular tourist attraction.

Peterson uses the “Seven Natural Wonders of Georgia” as the title of a series of large-format photographs that examine the relationship between people and the landscape. She often highlights the meeting of the natural and artificial. For example, she shows us signs that tout the “best” or “only” views of the gorge to reveal how our experiences of these places are controlled.

Together, the different views of this Georgia attraction offer an opportunity to take a step back and think about how our efforts to frame nature can end up keeping it at arm’s length.