Leave I c. 16th century

Curator: Here we have a handwritten document, titled "Leave I," from an anonymous artist. What are your initial thoughts? Editor: It looks like a plea or petition, almost like a medieval manuscript, faded and formal, yet imbued with a desperate urgency. Curator: Indeed. The text, densely packed within a double-lined border, speaks volumes about power dynamics. Notice the flowery language, the honorifics heaped upon some unseen authority. Editor: Absolutely. And the use of script becomes symbolic here. It's interesting how visual repetition of certain letter forms could indicate power or authority. Curator: The act of writing itself, especially in this ornate style, becomes a performance of submission and negotiation, revealing much about societal hierarchies. It’s an attempt to navigate and perhaps subvert those very structures. Editor: Looking at the page’s condition, the stains and the overall aging, I imagine it carries the weight of history, of repeated appeals falling on deaf ears. Curator: Precisely. It's a potent reminder of the struggles embedded within systems of power and the lengths to which individuals go to be heard. Editor: A fascinating object, leaving one to consider the enduring nature of these dynamics, made visible by script.