[no title] 1978

Editor: This is an untitled work by John Piper from the Tate collection. It looks like a photograph of a stone carving with three figures. What's your take on it? Curator: I’m drawn to how Piper documents this artifact. He’s not just recording; he's framing a narrative about labor and the preservation of cultural heritage through the lens of his own time. What material processes do you imagine went into both the original carving and Piper's capturing of it? Editor: I see what you mean. The carving itself was likely very labor-intensive. And the photograph, even if a relatively quick process, is then preserved and circulated. Thanks for giving me another angle to consider! Curator: Indeed. Thinking about how different forms of labor interact and influence one another opens up so much.