Artwork Information

Melvin Day's 'Factory Scene', 1950, was made when the artist was living in Rotorua and is based on scenes from the local pulp and paper mill. The work reflects Day's interest in urban imagery and modern subject matter, and reveals the influence of Weeks' work including 'Industry', 1936.

Day uses a repetition of forms to echo the continuous movement of man and machine. The workers are intergrated within the machinery and appear featureless, echoining the dehumanisation of industrialisation.