Two Churns

These churns exist within a double system of representation; they both are and are not churns. The patina of the wooden churn, hand-worked construction, and labor-intensive churning process evoke slower methods of production and material transformation that sharply contrast the culture of individually wrapped and industrially processed foods. Fake butter was not born in a churn. The Apple, on the other hand, is an artifact of sleek corporate product design, not a homesteader’s ingenuity. A technology with a built-in lifespan, this particular machine is stripped not of its processing power but its means of transmission. Does a computer still churn virtual butter when no users may taste its creamy manifestation on screen?

2009
Butter Churn: 30 x 30 x 36 in., Apple Computer: 12 x 12 x 14 in.
Wood, Apple iMac computer

Photo by Erik Peterson.