Eileen Gray from "Materials Lab" 2015

Editor: This piece, "Eileen Gray from Materials Lab" by Fernanda Fragateiro, presents a box-like structure filled with geometric shapes. It looks like a prototype or perhaps a model. What's your interpretation of this artwork? Curator: The piece brings to the fore the labour involved in design. Consider the simple materials - wood, metal, paper. They speak to industrial processes and the everyday realities of production. How does the work challenge our understanding of 'art' versus functional design? Editor: It blurs that line, definitely. It makes me think about the value we place on different types of creative work. Curator: Precisely. It forces us to examine the socio-economic context of art production. Does it elevate craft, or does it deconstruct the myth of the artist as a solitary genius?