Powder Charcoal 

Editor: Here we have "Powder Charcoal" by F. Weber & Company, its date is unknown. It's literally just a bottle of charcoal. I never really thought about where art supplies come from; what is there to really say about this? Curator: The bottle itself speaks volumes about the commodification of art. Think about the labor involved in producing the charcoal, packaging it, and distributing it. How does the industrialization of art supplies change artistic creation itself? Editor: So, it's less about the charcoal and more about what the charcoal represents? Curator: Exactly. It's a testament to the systems of production and consumption that underpin the art world. Editor: I guess I never really considered charcoal a product before. That's definitely a different way of looking at it. Curator: It's all about the material conditions.