Gunlock (Percussion) on a Dummy Breech of a 36-Pounder Cannon 1836

Curator: At first glance, it reminds me of some bizarre paperweight, all heavy wood and cold steel. It looks…functional, but somehow unsettling. Editor: Indeed. What you’re seeing is titled "Gunlock (Percussion) on a Dummy Breech of a 36-Pounder Cannon" made around 1836 at the Rijkswerf Amsterdam. The materials—wood, various metals—speak to a world of naval power, don't they? Curator: Naval power miniaturized. I'm imagining vast warships and smoky battles. The contrast between the raw wood and the precisely engineered metal is stark. There's a sense of contained violence in such a compact form, like a dormant beast. Editor: Precisely. Think of the labor that went into its crafting: the careful carpentry to create that curved base, the precision of the metalwork for the firing mechanism. These workshops churned out the materials of empire. Consider also the "dummy breech" - a training tool! Skill wasn't some innate genius, but rather meticulously instilled know-how by repetitively training craftspeople, teaching them the precise methods of gun manufacture and naval conflict. Curator: A tool of violence rendered impotent... but somehow still looming? The coldness of that hook is unsettling. Is it meant to suggest the moment of trigger? The moment just before destruction? Editor: It’s interesting that you are thinking of it as destructive... because I would claim it's primarily meant to control and regulate violence and potential for chaos by those in power. I also see the process and technology by which those rules were formulated by state forces... how labor shapes social space... and ultimately, is this sculptural thing meant to train more humans in making yet more of this same, potentially lethal sculpture? It is something of an endless ouroboros, isn't it? Curator: An ouroboros indeed! It definitely gives me that impression. It's funny how a seemingly straightforward object can stir so many thoughts. Perhaps it serves to remind that something beautiful in the technical prowess needed for its making could result in untold harm. Editor: Right. It asks us to consider labor, training, and ultimately violence - and how the three form our experience.