“String Wrapped (Typewriter)” (2012)

British artist and sculptor Ruth Broadbent’s “String Wrapped (Typewriter).” One aspect of her work explored the form, function, and identity of everyday objects, like this Underwood. (It appears to be an Underwood 4 portable, although it might be the very similar, but slightly updated, Universal, circa 1930s.)

“In contrast to our modern world, where everything seems to be multifunctional, typewriters were pointedly mono-functional. They did one thing and tried to do it very well. Despite this, they were seen as sophisticated objects, and the marketing of them was accordingly highbrow — in terms of shape and design, colour range (a rainbow of colours were on the shelves long before the Bondi Blue iMac and its fruit-coloured cousins), and advertising.  (Barrie Tullet writing in his book, Typewriter Art: A Modern Anthology.)

Underwood 4, circa 1930s