Staff Writer
Haiku multimedia artist Tom Sewell cranks the handle of a valve he has transformed into a work of art recently in his studio located in Puunene Millâs former tractor repair shop. The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photos
PUUNENE — Apart from the occasional jet roaring overhead, shuttered Puunene Mill is silent as Tom Sewell leads a visitor around his sculpture studio gallery located in the mill’s former tractor repair shop.
The Haiku multimedia artist’s longtime obsession with documenting the mill and its workers has led him to lease the airy 17,000-square-foot steel building. On display are heavyweight sculptures assembled from massive gears, gargantuan valves and machine tools he salvaged from the mill. Valve and tool handles are worn smooth from many decades of use. Some pieces sport welds, scars bearing testament to bygone repairs.