Industrial Evolution

"I am interested in how humans leave traces behind on our planet." Maarten Vanden Eynde, 2023.

The British town of Birmingham played a crucial role during the Industrial Revolution, which drastically changed the world in the 18th and 19th centuries and caused the largest population boom in human history. By 2007, however, most factories had disappeared from Birmingham and moved to parts of the world where labour was cheaper. With the shuttering of the factories, much of the production knowledge was also lost.

In the Industrial Evolution series, Maarten Vanden Eynde compiles 100 photographs of 100 objects from 20 Birmingham factories that are still in operation. They are the last remnants of a past industrial glory. Each object is presented in duplicate, calling to mind Noah's Ark but also the serial production process these factories excelled at. A closer look at the batches, however, reveals tiny differences in size, colour or shape. These disparities point to the inherent impossibility of mass cloning and reproduction. Has the industrial revolution failed after all?

Maarten Vanden Eynde's work is based on his travels and research. It analyses and queries the Anthropocene, the "geological age of mankind". The artist draws inspiration from objects in his environment, exploring their origins, their materials, their context and how they become "relics".