Anything can be viewed as art these days, and to Mark Crummett the insides of a computer is no exception. He is using small railroad model figures to transform the insides of the technological gadgets we work with every day into art pieces like these. To him the devices, such as computers, are not only functional, they’re aesthetically appealing. Especially on the inside.
“I like the idea that [technology] looks the way it does because it has to look that way,” he says. “A hard drive is made out of round and shiny material because of what it has to do and how it has to do it. ”
The collection of works are called “Ghosts in the Machine”. He’s placed model railroad figurines inside the guts of old computers and other contraptions, making the processors and transistors form a kind of otherworldly cityscape. Computer fan vents become postmodern architecture. Motherboards become strange new ecosystems.
“These people are surrounded by technology, technology has become their environment,” he says. “And that’s where we are too. Technology has become so integrated that it’s second nature to us.”
Crummett says he uses model railroad figurines because they’re the right size (.75 inches tall) but also because they’re dressed like they came out of the 1940s. Placed in the middle of a computer they become time travelers.
Be sure to check his site for more: Mark Crummett
We’re amazed at the time people have these days. This is truly something unique, it makes the insides of our beloved computers look so different…eerie.
