The Visual Examination of the work is at the core of the study. We developed a 12-page technical studies form that guides our study of each work, a comprehensive hours-long detailed observation, analysis and description, documented with 150-250 IPad Pro photographs per work.

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What the exam tells us/Initial Results: The casting technique can usually be determined from observation of interior and exterior features with the naked eye, magnifiers, endoscope (to explore accessible components of an open cast). Evidence of the preparatory phases, engineering of the cast, success of the pour, types and effort put into repairs, degree and types of cold work and later finishes, etc. Visual examination challenges notions of quality and finish, raises questions about differences between like objects, reveals the hands of workers, has in some cases linked object to object, and always creates a narrative for the making of each work.