Five Machines for 2025

A little over a year ago, a book on the history of mills and early American manufacturing came into the hands of visual artist Mark W. Mulherrin. While the book featured few images, it was the photographs of water-powered grist mill interiors that captured his imagination. These images became the inspiration for a series of paintings, and later, dimensional cardboard works he describes as “2.5D”—blending the physical depth of cardboard with the illusionistic techniques of classical perspective.

The five machines currently on view came later. They are based on 19th-century engravings of industrial machinery, reimagined in painted cardboard. For Mulherrin, the act of coaxing steel machines out of paper was a compelling challenge. The tension between the materials—ephemeral and fragile paper used to depict heavy, durable iron—creates what he calls a “wonderful confusion.” Each machine becomes a kind of portrait, imbued with personality, function, and a life of its own. While Mulherrin doesn’t claim to understand the machines’ precise purposes, he finds them endlessly fascinating from an aesthetic and intuitive standpoint. His admiration for the original machinists and engineers has only deepened through this process. “It’s one thing to make them out of cardboard—challenging, but not an exact science,” he says. “To make them for real… I can’t imagine this.”

All works are available for purchase. Inquiries can be directed to markmulherrin@gmail.com or Lisa Yordy at the American Precision Museum. 20% of proceeds will be donated to the Museum.

Mark W. Mulherrin is a visual artist based in North Adams, Massachusetts.