Lens-Artists Challenge – Mechanical/Industrial

At first, when I saw John’s challenge there was just one thought on my mind, How am I going to do this? When I was growing up I enjoyed taking photos of cars but then I lost interest. This was a real challenge for me, the thinking cap was truly needed.

My first photo is of one of the airplanes used on the first aerial crossing of the South Atlantic in 1922. I love everything relating to this time in history and nothing better than focusing on human endeavour. The world has changed so much in the last 100 years or so.

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The Millennium Clock at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh celebrates the good and the bad of the 20th Century. The whole magnificent thing is thought-provoking and, as such, is not everyone’s cup of tea but it certainly is mine.

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I’m lucky to have a young son that, for some reason like most of young boys, have a thing for trains and trams. Where does this come from is a mystery to me but it has come in handy for this particular challenge. The National Railway Museum in York is interesting even if you’re not into trains. My first photo is a detail of the locomotive Agenoria (roman Goddess of Industry). Early Industrial Revolution innovations still had the need for beauty as well as function. Then the fascinating tubes of the sectioned boiler of a Ellerman Lines steam locomotive built in 1949.

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A revolution to public transport, trams still have a magical attractiveness. Possibly as they’re a symbol of a time when life was lived at a considerably slower pace. Lisbon is famous for them and along side to the normal routes runs a special tourist one. Initially, the trams were pushed by horses but in 1901 the tram network was converted to electricity. But where did that come from?

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Well, from 1909 it came from here, the Tejo Power Station, now the Electricity Museum. A wonderful example of Industrial Arquitecture, it’s also a great way to understand how electricity is generated. Progress brought on by industry had a high price to pay and time allows us to look in with a certain detachment. Places like this bring closer the human endeavour that gave us the world we know today.

John invites us to share what we think when we consider the terms Industrial or Mechanical. Personally, by picking the examples I did, it appears to be progress, ingenuity, functionality but also beauty. What a journey! Show us what they are to you by joining John’s unique post and use the Lens-Artists tag so we can easily find you. Next week is Amy’s turn to host our challenge, so please be sure to visit her site.

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