Geode

Comprised of a found cast iron machine component, once a part of a housing that protected shafts and gears. Its form arises from and exemplifies a variety of processes and conditions, both meticulously planned and accidental. It began as a rough casting, molten metal poured into a sand mold that favors curved, filleted shapes as the liquid flows to fill the void. Then, this rugged object was measured and planed down to exacting squareness and flatness on two sides to fit precisely in it’s eventual home. Perfect round holes pierce an undulating form, yet placed just so to mesh harmoniously. In operation, it would have blended seamlessly into the rest of the machine, the inside holding lubrication and the outside protecting from metal chips and wear. Over many years, the tear and battering of its work has left the outside scratched, scraped, and rusted, with paint peeling from its grimy surface. The interior has escaped such harsh conditions, having bathed constantly in a circulating pool of oil, keeping it in a nearly pristine state. As such, it takes on qualities akin to a crystal geode that shares a similar weathered, dull exterior hiding a bright, faceted interior. Today, this highly-engineered piece of metal with all its careful interaction of curve and hard line, organic and abstract, once laboriously designed and crafted, has become scrap as marching technological progress rolls on.