2004-2005

The Factory Direct exhibition paired 10 artists with manufacturers to do projects at the intersection of art and industry. I became the artist-in-residence at United States Surgical, a manufacturer of sutures and wound closure devices.

For the purpose of my project I defined the “reframed object” as an item that is part of the manufacturing process at U.S. Surgical, but that has been removed from its traditional context and taken by an employee to his or her workspace to be used or appreciated in way that departs from its primary function. For example, one of the engineers has made a model airplane from surgical stapler parts, and another makes twisted plastic sculpture from waste plastic purged from the injection-molding machine.

The piece took the form of ten 30”x50” digital prints on paper. Five of the prints were detailed portraits of employees at their workspaces. The other five were monumental images of their reframed objects against flat white backgrounds. Text informed viewers of the employees’ name and job title along with the actual purpose of their items.

The prints were tacked to the wall with U.S. Surgical Surgineedles™. At U.S. Surgical it is not unusual to find things tacked to cubicle walls with the company’s products.

The 31’ wall on which the prints were hung was painted the same blue-green color used for operating room walls and surgical gowns. The color improves visual acuity by absorbing green after-images caused by prolonged focusing on red blood and tissue.

Photography: Harold Shapiro
Printing: Duggal New York