The latest piece from Pierre Mayer is based on the famous life-size automaton, The Chess Player Turk. “It was a project that was in the back of my mind many years ago. I consulted my late friend Christian Fechner who advised me to use moving gears inside the cabinet. Then I asked the legendary John […]
The Science of Conversation
We’re delving into the archives to take a closer look at some of Paul Spooner’s automata. This piece is from 2010. “Although it’s tempting to think of ways in which I might have been foreseeing the current double-headed political situation in Britain, I actually thought of this machine while talking to my dad. I realised […]
Finding the Value
In 2011 Peter Madsen left his estate to York Museum’s Trust. Amongst is bequest was his art collection. Finding the Value is an exhibition in which commissioned artists respond to items from the collection and open up questions of the inheritance of cultural values. Artist Simon Venus has created a mechanical tableaux for the exhibition. […]
The Stable by Lisa Slater
This eye-catching wall-mounted piece is from automata-maker Lisa Slater, who works in the creative community of Hebden Bridge, England. ‘The stable was created after a weekend stay on a farm in the Cotswolds. I went out to photograph the stable block early in the morning and as I chatted to one of the horses other […]
The Only Non-slip Dodo Mat in the World
Paul Spooner reviews a refreshingly new exhibition in Falmouth, Cornwall. The result of collaborations with singers, dancers, actors and other creative types, this show is designed to help answer the oft asked and ofter avoided question; Where do you get your ideas from??