Connecticut boasts a rich history of manufacturing pioneered by the likes of Eli Whitney and Samuel Colt as well as by more contemporary entrepreneurs like Joseph Gerber and strategic material producer OPM. The CNC technical skills taught at The Manufacturing Center will play a critical role in providing the skills that will help Connecticut Industry to continue this legacy.
Manufacturing machinery typically generates heat. Dissipating this heat is frequently done through a heat sink with cooling fins located somewhere on the apparatus. ‘Heat Sink’ is inspired by the precise arrangements of planer repeated forms that characterize heat sink cooling fins. In this sculptural metaphor, the building itself becomes the 'machine' and the ‘heat’ generated by the creative energy within is dispersed by the sculpture, which is designed to resemble a radially arrayed heat sink. A glowing green function light in cast glass indicates the 'machine'/building is 'on' and doing its job teaching the next generation of machinists. With a Claes Oldenburg-esque paradigm shift in scale ‘Heat Sink’ is a three dimensional art work rendered from an implied function and fabricated with the same CNC production technology that defines the Manufacturing Center's mission.