-Westmoreland Specialty Company Mustard- still bank c. mid 20th century

This anonymous ‘Westmoreland Specialty Company Mustard’ still bank is a curious object rendered in glass. Its cube-like structure, adorned with brick-like patterns and a pitched roof, is immediately striking. The materiality of the glass is interesting because it plays with transparency and opacity. The clear glass suggests a structural system of signs—an interplay of visual and cultural codes. The architectural form is intriguing; the structure is almost childlike in its simplicity, with its rudimentary door and window openings. The repetition of brick motifs and the rhythmic arrangement of windows speak to an industrial aesthetic, while the overall structure of the house suggests a sense of domesticity. What could this dichotomy suggest? Is the artist prompting us to question the nature of commerce and commodity?