Flight Centennial Portfolio, Piston

Artist's Statement:
Are not all the components of aircraft works of art in their own special way? How many pistons, in how many aircraft, have stroked their way to new speed and distance records; to war; to the next town for lunch; to distant continents?

The heart of this piston is workaday gray aluminum alloy. It works at tremendous speeds, and high temperatures, with its helpmates in a horizontally-opposed piston engine. But, when dressed in gold plate, its true measure is seen: a carefully engineered, precision piece of aviation history ready to occupy an important place in hangar or home.

About the Flight Centennial Collection:
The various "Flightcase Studies", as in all works in the Flight Centennial Collection, use structural components, flight-stressed fabrics and metals, and contemporary and vintage hardware, from aircraft that played major roles in the first century of aviation.


"Piston"
Flight Centennial Collection Sculpture Three-dimensional engine part. 24-karat gold plate. 3.5" x 4.0" (9 x 10 cm) Jo-Ann Lizio O'Brien Large Image & Materials List
Artist's Statement: Are not all the components of aircraft works of art in their own special way? How many pistons, in how many aircraft, have stroked their way to new speed and distance records; to war; to the next town for lunch; to distant continents? The heart of this piston is workaday gray aluminum alloy. It works at tremendous speeds, and high temperatures, with its helpmates in a horizontally-opposed piston engine. But, when dressed in gold plate, its true measure is seen: a carefully engineered, precision piece of aviation history ready to occupy an important place in hangar or home. About the Flight Centennial Collection: The various "Flightcase Studies", as in all works in the Flight Centennial Collection, use structural components, flight-stressed fabrics and metals, and contemporary and vintage hardware, from aircraft that played major roles in the first century of aviation.