Metastation of Abandoned Tones 1976

Editor: This is Lubo Kristek's "Metastation of Abandoned Tones," created in 1976. It looks like a mixed-media assemblage. The materials really jump out at me. It’s not something you see every day, all these repurposed objects brought together. What story do you think it’s telling? Curator: Well, immediately I'm drawn to the materials Kristek uses. Notice the piano keys, the fragmented mechanical parts, and even what appears to be an artist’s smock hung off to the side. What statement is being made by contrasting those mass produced materials next to the artist's personal garment? This is about the labor that goes into artistic creation but also the cultural forces, or “tones,” that are no longer actively producing cultural or economic value, being ‘abandoned’ as the title suggests. Editor: That's interesting! It’s like a monument to obsolescence, made from what society throws away. Curator: Precisely. Kristek repurposes these discards, elevating them. It's challenging the idea of what is considered 'art' versus simply 'matter' or craft. Does it not also challenge us to rethink production and consumption? Editor: Definitely. The piano keys especially—they once had a specific purpose, making music. Now they're arranged in a completely new, non-functional way, highlighting the changing use and material process involved to get there.. Curator: Consider the ‘abandoned tones’, aren't these more accurately ‘exhausted’ forms from overproduction? In this work Kristek highlights production practices, and by assembling materials, highlights the artistic process which can challenge capitalist approaches. Editor: So, he's not just making art; he's making a statement about how we create and consume. It’s about highlighting how our history is embedded in things and our changing relationships with them. Curator: Precisely, and that it can also be actively transformed to become newly re-purposed. By making work from 'matter', he reveals an interesting process about how capitalist consumer society might function. Editor: This gives me a lot to think about when considering how we might reinterpret “abandoned tones.” Curator: Absolutely. Seeing how process creates artistic meaning highlights value beyond the purely aesthetic.