Titanium Oxide 

Editor: Here we have Titanium Oxide by Cabot, its date is unknown. It looks like a weathered sample can of pigment. I'm curious, what stands out to you about this seemingly mundane object? Curator: Note how the cylindrical form, coupled with the rectangular color chart, establish a dialogue between industrial utility and chromatic possibility. The can’s distressed surface, juxtaposed with the pristine color swatches, suggests a temporal narrative of material degradation versus idealized color. Consider the semiotics of the handwritten label. Editor: So, it's the tension between decay and potential that really defines this piece? Curator: Precisely. And, does the color chart perhaps serve as a key to unlock the can's past?