[title not known] 1976

Editor: This piece is by Michael Rothenstein, titled “Quarter to Five. The Marquesa Succione Box Assemblage,” from 1975. It looks like a collection of found objects within a box. What do you see in this work? Curator: The emphasis here is on the 'means of production' of meaning. Rothenstein uses a discarded box and commonplace imagery, questioning artistic value itself. The stopped clock, the ripped paper, these all point to a material reality, a disruption of typical image consumption. Editor: So, it's less about what the image represents and more about the act of assembling these cast-off materials? Curator: Precisely. The work highlights the labor involved in creation, and the re-use of materials challenges traditional boundaries between art and everyday life, making us question our consumption habits. Editor: That's a great point. I'll definitely consider the material aspect more closely when looking at assemblage art. Curator: It shifts the focus from the idealized image to the concrete process of its making.