Salient Features 1977 - 1978

Curator: This is David Leverett's "Salient Features," from the Tate collection. It's striking how Leverett layers images, creating a collage-like effect. Editor: Yes, it feels very tactile. The layering and the choice of faded colors create this sense of palimpsest, of obscured histories being revealed. What materials did he use? Curator: The dimensions of the image are roughly 595 by 914 mm, but we don't have additional information about materials from the gallery database. We do know that Leverett often incorporated photography and text in his work. The repetition and the fragments of text… Editor: … hint at mass production and the manipulation of information. The industrial scenes juxtaposed with figures suggest a commentary on labor and social structures, don't you think? There is this sense of something both familiar and alienating in it. Curator: Precisely. The composition invites a deconstruction of the images themselves—a sort of visual semiotics in action, I'd say. Editor: For me, it’s more about the process – how these elements were brought together to form a layered, complex narrative about industry and societal shifts. Curator: Well, however we choose to read it, it’s a provocative work that really stays with you. Editor: I agree, I'll be thinking about the method of production here for some time.