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. […]
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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 […]
Working with Brass, Part 1 – Cutting Brass – Dug’s Tips 13
Brass is a metal that looks good with wood, is easy to work, and can be soldered. You can use it for specific parts or create entire automaton with it! If you are going to use brass, probably the first thing you’ll want to do is cut some. It comes in all kinds of shapes […]
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??
Fish by Richard Hackney
This beautiful fish by Richard Hackney is made from assorted found metals. The piece is operated by a lever, and looks stunning from the front and back. Height: 36 cm One Only Sold.
CMT in Greenwich
Exhibition and Workshops 12th December to 22nd Feb 2014. We still have a few places left in our workshop programme for our current exhibition in Greenwich. Come and have fun at our Family Workshop on 19th February, or join in our end of show automata-making afternoon on 22nd February. Our full day automata-making workshop (25th […]
Autumn Exhibitions
News of two exhibitions. Firstly, we are delighted to be exhibiting 14 of our automata at Finton House School in London in the new Emma Thornton Building. CMT has had close ties with the School for many years, and automata making is a key part of the Design and Technology curriculum there. Finton House School […]
I feel, therefore I am by Paul Spooner
Made in the robotics division of P. Spooner Stithians following their catastrophic failure to produce Artificial Intelligence. Having recorded dismal scores in innumerable Turing tests, it was decided that Artificial Emotion might be an easier target to aim at. Confidence is growing that, after some development, one of these machines will be able to slip […]
The Frog Princess by Paul Spooner
This is an elaboration of the four-faced mechanism. This time a door opens in the body to reveal a cylinder housing the flies. 215 H x 120 W X 60 D One Only. SOLD £650 (excl. VAT) “I started making this thing using one of the boxes I had ready for the other four-faced machines […]
10 Handy Tricks for Woodworkers & Automaton-makers – Dug’s Tips 12
10 Handy Tricks for Woodworkers & Automaton-makers We’ve focused on techniques in this column up to this point. Now it’s time for some small tips that can make a big difference! Here are some woodworking tricks that I have found useful for automaton-making. 1 – Make Your Own Carbon Paper I often use carbon paper […]
