The Dairy, Fawley Court 1940

Curator: Looking at John Piper's "The Dairy, Fawley Court," I can't help but feel a bit haunted, as if the building is a forgotten relic. Editor: That's interesting. I see the work's relationship to power. Consider the dairy as a site of rural labor, often performed by women, commodified within the architecture of wealthy estate. The image renders visible the exploitation inherent in such bucolic scenes. Curator: Absolutely, and Piper’s use of muted tones and stark lines adds to that sense of alienation, a detachment. It's as if the building is receding into the shadows. Editor: Right, the shadows are key. They remind us of the obscured histories that are often deliberately erased from these picturesque views of the English countryside. Whose labor built this dairy, and under what conditions? Curator: A beautiful, chilling reminder that even the most idyllic scenes have their dark corners. Editor: Indeed. It invites us to question what is intentionally left unseen, prompting critical reflection on the structures of class and gender that underpin seemingly innocent landscapes.