Life Cycle, 2004
Mixed/Multimedia
8 x 8 x 7 1/2 feet |
 M.F.A.
Wheels, even while stationary, imply a journey. Everything round
has potential energy, and movement, if not actual, can be foreseen.
All movement creates a journey, regardless of distance or duration.
Increasingly the journeys of man are taken by means of some form
of machine.
Machines have always acted as surrogates for human functions. In
the past, there was a certain aversion to technological advancement.
The flood of machines since the beginning of the Industrial Age
made people fear for their jobs and their safety, causing anxiety
about their security and future. In more recent times, the pace
of technology has become blinding. The fear of machines has faded.
There has come the realization that technology
is a force that can’t be stopped. The complete saturation
of technology in today’s world has made people accepting,
possibly apathetic, but definitely more willing to embrace these
new conveniences.
In this age of increasing automation and digitization, machines
have
come to seem almost antiquated. Wires, switches, and relays can
now be used in place of gears, belts, and pulleys. Progress is making
mechanization less relevant, and therefore somewhat nostalgic.
What does the use of machinery say when there is a newer, cheaper,
and more efficient way to accomplish the same task? Does the use
of machines that are no longer necessary to do the jobs we physically
can’t, or don’t care to do ourselves take on a greater
function from the one for which it was intended? Is it possible
for machines to evolve into something that will assist humanity
on a different journey, while retaining their traditional form?
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