Machine 1410, 2005

"Machine 1410" is taken from Ruff's Machine Series of 2003 consisting of colored prints made from large-format glass negatives of black-and-white images of vintage industrial machinery and tools from the 30s and 40s. Typical of the artist's technique, Ruff worked with found imagery for this series, digitally manipulating the negatives to create fresh, experimental works. The works are akin to the documentary images of industrial structures produced by Ruff's former professors, Bernd and Hilla Becher. The series is in keeping with Ruff's persistent exploration of notions of authenticity, reproduction, and perception.