Originally titled Machines II, this work reframes 19th century industrial archival photography as a meditation on technological obsolescence. The image depicts early industrial machinery from 1890–1920, its surfaces now marked by chemical deterioration that echoes the corrosion of the machines themselves. Sükan’s subtle color intervention introduces a contemporary layer onto the historical monochrome base, creating a visual palimpsest where mechanical progress and photographic decay converge. Rather than restoring industrial history, the work exposes its fragility — revealing how innovation, like the image that records it, is ultimately subject to erosion.
 
Dis(This) appearance Series. Memory and transformation converge in the latest work of Turkish artist Arslan Sükan. The artist rescued archival photographs from the 19th century (1890-1920), distorted by chemical decomposition, and now available again thanks to preservation and his digital intervision through his  exquisite gaze.. The past has been rediscovered, allowing fragments of it to resonate in the present. Sükan's recovery of these photographs results in a visual resurrection that perpetuates fleeting memories of the past, challenging the fragility of collective memory. The impermanence of life is represented through the tension between deterioration and restoration in these images.
Sükan's work ensures that these forgotten photographs do not disappear into oblivion, but remain alive, preserving public memory and welcoming a shared journey through time. New narratives are forged when past and present merge, with the presence and absence of decay and rebirth coexisting in a delicate balance.
Through his images, the artist ensures that historical moments do not fade into obscurity, but rather endure through a shared experience with the viewer. These photographs become a medium for past lives and stories to intersect with our present consciousness, leading us to reflect on the permanence of memory and its role in shaping our identities.
 
Machines II reinterprets 19th century industrial archival photography through the lens of decay, color intervention, and technological memory. A compelling acquisition for collectors interested in historical industry reframed as contemporary conceptual art. Available at The Art Design Project, Miami Beach.
 
More Sizes and Editions:
Small size: 50 H x 75 W cm. Edition 3 + 1AP 
Large size: 100 H x 130 W cm. Edition 3 + 1AP