Hokusai's Designs for Various Craftsmen (Shoshoku hinagata Hokusai zushiki) 

Curator: Gazing upon these sketches by Hokusai, known as "Designs for Various Craftsmen", my imagination leaps. They're like whispers of waves, almost musical. Editor: Yes, they're quite suggestive. The material reality here is fascinating— these designs, intended for artisans, blur the line between fine art and functional object. Curator: Exactly! One can envision these waves adorning lacquerware boxes, textiles, transforming everyday items into miniature oceans. He must have watched the ocean for days. Editor: Undoubtedly. And think of the artisans, the labor required to translate these fluid sketches into solid forms, manipulating materials like wood or clay. Curator: It's a beautiful collaboration across time, isn't it? Hokusai’s vision flowing through the hands of countless craftspeople. Editor: Absolutely. Hokusai provides not just an image, but a method, a set of instructions for production. It makes you wonder about the economic implications of design itself. Curator: Seeing these drawings really illuminates the ocean's power and the potential it has to transform. Editor: A beautiful reminder that art resides in the everyday, in the making and the using.