Kast c. 1925

Curator: Here we have "Kast," a drawing from around 1925 by the Monogrammist HK, rendered in ink on paper and currently held in the Rijksmuseum collection. What are your initial impressions? Editor: Well, it's a study in austerity. Very still, very quiet. Almost a ghost of a wardrobe, wouldn’t you say? The pale paper and delicate lines feel…fragile. It’s more about the idea of a kast than the object itself, perhaps? Curator: Indeed. It's interesting to consider the socio-economic implications. While seemingly straightforward, this drawing hints at the means of producing furniture, access to craftsmanship, and the role of design in everyday life during the early 20th century. The question arises of who had the privilege of possessing such well-crafted goods and how were they manufactured? Editor: Exactly! It invites us to consider what this kast *held.* What stories could those drawers tell, eh? All those folded linens, perhaps secret love letters… It is odd to only give the plan and not show the stories the cabinet could contain... Makes you think about what it truly meant to possess beautiful objects like this at that time. Curator: Right. Think about the labor involved in even a ‘simple’ design like this. From sourcing materials to the artisan's hand meticulously inking the drawing... this artwork allows us to reflect on how such furniture became accessible to a broader audience through industrialization and changes in modes of production. Editor: It all gets a little sterile without a suggestion of human interaction… Curator: Perhaps so. But through understanding these design drawings and material realities, we see design not as a passive process but as a critical intersection of culture, technology, and consumption. It demonstrates design's shift away from being entirely hand-crafted to mass produced Editor: So while I'm dreaming of hidden compartments, you are pulling this artwork towards industry and labor! Well, each perspective adds its own hue to the artwork. I shall start saving the secrets that only the right piece of furniture will protect!