Documenting the inner workings of America’s manufacturing industry, architectural and industrial photographer Christopher Payne has dedicated his career to capturing the skilled workers and complex machinery that bring everyday objects into being.

Coinciding with a large-scale exhibition of his work at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in New York, director Xhosa Fray-Chinn follows Payne in a quiet meditation on making for the short documentary Made in America - The Industrial Photography of Christopher Payne. Visiting three American factories – Alstom in Hornell, NY, General Pencil in Jersey City, NJ, and Steinway Pianos in Queens, NY – Payne reflects on the intersection between human and machine, and the careful craftsmanship and intricate hand processes hidden from public view.

- Xhosa Fray-Chinn 

Framing the vastness of these industrial spaces, Payne’s visually arresting photographs play with saturated colors and dynamic angles to expose the mechanical framework of transportation, musical instruments, and consumer goods. Connecting with a community of workers, united by a common goal, Made in America showcases the unsung heroes who play a fundamental role in the design process, and the physical labor and attention to detail that keeps America’s industrial train churning.

Made in America - The Industrial Photography of Christopher Payne is on view at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum until 27 September 2026.