2016
The Mare Island Extension Kit was created as part of Situated Systems, a project created for the Experimental Research Lab at Pier 9, Autodesk, San Francisco.
The Mare Island Extension Kit is a series of resin objects – a Bridgeport Drill Press; a combined grinder; a bandsaw; and three figures – created using photogrammetry, and digital fabrication and additive manufacturing techniques.
Following its closure and decommissioning in 1996, the contents of Mare Island Naval Shipyard (MINS), Vallejo, Northern California, were auctioned off to the public. The heavy industrial machine tools that had previously been utilized to build and repair warships and submarines were put to new uses across the Bay Area and further afield.
During the Situated Systems project, I gained access to a photocopy of a print-out of the website of the original auction catalogue. Drawing on this multiply-scanned and replicated resource I tracked down three of these machines. Photogrammetry techniques and 3D modelling software was used to create a three-dimensional mesh file of the machines and their new operators. These files were printed using grey resin, mimicking the aesthetics of classic war toys.
The Mare Island Extension Kit extends the conception of warfare beyond the battlefield to consider the role of industrial machinery, construction, and maintenance in military spaces; and the many contexts in which military tools exist over their lifespans.