[no title] 1976 - 1977

Curator: Immediately, I'm struck by the arrangement of these seemingly disparate images. There's a tension between the natural and the constructed. Editor: This is a print by Joe Tilson, part of the Tate collection. Though untitled, the artist combines screen printing and collage elements in it. Tilson, born in 1928, often explored themes of mythology and the elements. Curator: Mythology, yes, that resonates! The 'fire box' and 'water box' labels hint at elemental symbolism. The boxes themselves—containers of knowledge or secrets? And that film strip— a visual timeline of water perhaps? Editor: Absolutely. The film strip, the boxes, the inclusion of "moon" and the triangular shape could represent the journey of water. The nest image could signal the origin. The work asks us to consider the origins of life and the cyclical nature of the elements. Curator: I see these images as dialogues, not just with the elements, but also with the visual language of assemblage and collage. Tilson seems to be dismantling and reassembling cultural memory. Editor: Perhaps, it's a fragmented poem, leaving room for interpretation, a space where the past informs the present. Curator: Precisely. It encourages us to weave our own narratives within the framework he provides.