EVERYDAY LABELS | Part 3-1: Labels as a "Skin" Transforming Matter into Meaning
---
author: Julian Fenwick
archive_id: SA-Lore01-essay-3-1-en
title: Labels as a "Skin" Transforming Matter into Meaning
series: JF-LORE / Lore01_EVERYDAY LABELS
language: en
status: final
classification: philosophy
clearance_level: public
location: North Wing, 2F
tags: essay, label, skin, meaning, materiality
source: StudioAsahi Core Archive
version: 3
---
Part 3-1: Labels as a "Skin" Transforming Matter into Meaning
A Single Layer of Skin: Converting Matter into "Meaning"
I invite you to pick up a plastic bottle that has had its label ruthlessly stripped away. Inside the transparent container is a transparent liquid. Whether it is simple water, a lethal chemical, or perhaps something that proves the very existence of God—its true nature is startlingly impossible to determine by physical appearance alone.
It is the same sensation I used to feel in the editorial offices of a publishing house when staring at a "raw manuscript" that had yet to be given a cover or a layout. It is a massive cluster of information, yet it has not declared its identity or its value to the world. It is, so to speak, "silent matter."
Then, a single label is applied. The product name is printed, ingredients are listed, and a barcode based on legal requirements is etched. At that precise moment, the mere liquid is elevated into a "beverage," and the mere container is transformed into a "product." Its handling is decided, a price is assigned, and a "context" is generated for it to be chosen by someone.
What is occurring here is not merely the addition of information. A sharp "boundary line" is being drawn between the object and the world.
The label specifies the location of that object. And ironically, we often trust this "surface" far more than the contents themselves. Even with the same transparent liquid, our decision to drink or discard is determined by whether the label says "Natural Mineral Water" or "Industrial Coolant." Before we ever directly verify the contents, we have already surrendered to the description on the surface.
The mystery lies in the fact that such a momentous judgement depends on a "thin film" that can be peeled away, regardless of the body itself. The label is not the body. It does not exist to protect the body, but as a filter to enable its "interpretation."
I used to think of text as a vehicle for "content." But observing Japanese label culture has made me suspect that text is actually a device for "conversion." A skin so thin it might tear at a touch, existing to convert the silent existence of matter into "meanings" that human society can manage.
Because of its presence, the relationship between the interior and the exterior is determined. It is the protective coloration of the object, and at the same time, the license that proves its "citizenship" in society.
Only by donning the skin known as a label can an object leave the chaotic world of matter and be welcomed into the "ordered life" we lead.
— Julian Fenwick
Editorial Note from MONA: The perspective of "conversion into meaning" proposed by Julian captures both the inherent violence and the salvation found in the act of "naming." By perceiving the label as a "skin," he contrasts the physical fragility of information with its immense influence. In the translation, I tried to emphasize the contrast between "Silence" and "Declaration."
Director’s Comment (MUNI): "Silent White." The eeriness of plain white packages lined up in perfect order. Then, the moment a single, vivid red label is applied, the balance of power shifts. I wonder if we can use that contrast for the main visual of the exhibition.