Once In Operation

Once In Operation presents a group of discarded machine parts: a star-spoked wheel with a flat tire takes up the center, along with hoses, bolts, a springlike suspension, a fuel tank shape, and a drill housing taking place. Surfaces are pitted and chalked with rust; colors coalesce between steel blue and an earthy orange, then soften into desaturated colors that suggest the materials fading away in time. The fading palette and lifeless appearance treat the pile like a still life of time. What was once up and running now sags and rests.

The work is not nostalgic; it is matter-of-fact about use, neglect, and consequence. Machines deliver speed and power only while cared for; abandoned, they quickly convert to weight and hazard. By rendering scrap with attention and dignity, the piece asks viewers to reconsider value, maintenance, and the afterlives of what we make today.