Box to Keep the Void from "Materials Lab" (book to be sent by artist to be enclosed in box) 2015

Curator: Here we have Fernanda Fragateiro’s "Box to Keep the Void from Materials Lab," which contains a book. The piece resides here at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: My first impression is one of architectural models, like something stripped down to its most basic components. Curator: It strikes me as a potent symbol for the need for structure in childhood, a way to contain the formlessness of growing up. The box, literally, protects the idea. Editor: I see that too, and notice the repetitions of lines and planes. The artist repeats those basic forms, creating a visual rhythm. It's very satisfying. Curator: Fragateiro seems interested in how we build meaning through physical space. These structures create environments that children inhabit—physically and psychologically. Editor: A vital point. Looking at this, I feel that the formal elements contribute to this sense of containment and spatial exploration. It makes you consider the very nature of void. Curator: Right, the box itself becomes a metaphor for the mind, holding ideas about void and structure. Editor: It makes me think of minimalism taken to a psychological level. Curator: Yes, a fitting point on which to end! Editor: I concur!