Interieur van het nieuwe machinehuis met smederij van de Tanjong Pagar Dock Co. Ltd. in Singapore before 1905

This photograph captures the interior of the Tanjong Pagar Dock Co. Ltd.'s new machine house and smithery in Singapore. The machinery, though modern, echoes ancient forges – places where raw materials are transformed. Consider the wheel, prominent in the equipment here. It’s a motif that carries echoes from the potter’s wheel of ancient civilizations to the ship's wheel guiding vessels across vast oceans. A symbol of labor, it has undergone a transformation. Once powered by human hands, here, it is driven by unseen forces, echoing the relentless march of industrial progress. These machines, tools of creation, are also symbols of power. The psychological effect is palpable – a blend of awe and unease. Like the minotaur's labyrinth, the space speaks of mastery and control, but also of potential entrapment within the gears of progress. The wheel continues to turn, changing its form but retaining its essence – a testament to our enduring quest to shape the world around us.