Tractor. Past & present

The Tractor. Past & present album forms a historical record, The graphic studio's second publication of this kind. It comes as the result of the need to create a snapshot of what was once a factory the size of city: the Tractorul Brasov Factory. "We couldn't leave all this to disappear without preserving a record, both for us and those unfamiliar with the site, not now when everything is about to change with the cleaning and regeneration," reads the introduction by
Ioana Lupas, the representative of the new owners who commissioned the album.

The history of the factory with which the album begins is illustrated extensively by archive photography. The documentary images forming the core of the book are divided into three sections: exteriors, interiors and machine tools. Panoramas, countless roofs, cables and pipes, picturesque chimney stacks and melancholy details of vegetation intertwined with phantasmagorical structures are all brought together in this album in an attempt to capture an atmosphere the likes of which will never be seen again. On the inside, the mass-produced objects and random parts, nuts and bolts, and valves form the colourful details of a giant tableau. The closing section - Machine Tools - captures the tangible emotion generated by the personal items abandoned throughout the halls and workshops. Each section of the book is prefaced by the colourful writing of Calin Torsan. Although part of the 'events' category, this album has not been launched on the book market. (Madalina Mirea)