Welcome to: The Robotorium: Inspiration Strikes

Tuesday, July 16, 2019

Inspiration Strikes

I have a few irons in the fire right now. One, the old slide projector robot I previously posted about, more on that later. Another is a piece I am creating to donate to a charity auction this October for The Nan Project. This is an organization near and ear to my heart. They do amazing work with schools and other organizations around suicide awareness and intervention. Here is that piece:

I am happy with how this is going, and even happier when I had one of those "Ah-Ha" moments while working on it. It was disassembled and in this state when I had my flash of inspiration:

My plan is to use another one of these old Weston Gauges, take out the meter face and seen here, and then build in different insides into it. I think using it this way will allow me more artistic exploration than just building with the meter as is. Stay tuned, I think this will be cool!

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Artists Statement

Robots, the future was supposed to be full of them. I grew up in the shadow of the Apollo program, transfixed as massive machines left Pad 39A, rising on a pillar of fire. I drank up every episode of The Thunderbirds, Star Trek, Creature Double Feature and Dr. Who. I devoured Asimov, Clark and Heinlein. They showed me a future of great adventure and promise, all accompanied by a faithful metal companion; not a Roomba or a self-driving car. While cool, they lack the reassuring yet potentially sinister metal gleam of Robby, or B9 from Lost in Space. They do not lurch from task to task or generate massive electrical arcs. They are not imbued with superhuman strength, and are missing the frightening single-mindedness of Gort or The Terminator.

I have always loved building things. So, given the robotless state of my present, I grabbed a screwdriver and drill and took remnants from the past to make my missing future. I see potential creations in stuff that gets thrown away. I love the machine age look of polished aluminum, wrinkle finished paint, and Bakelite. I look for parts that complement each other. Using cast-offs from a time before transistors, I try to create something with an aesthetic unity. I want my robots to look like they have been used and worked, while broadcasting a personality and sense of presence. I want them to look real, that’s important. Most of all, when I’m done, I want to look at them and laugh. With each creation I get a little closer to the dreams I had as a boy, a little closer to the future I imagined. Step into The Robotorium and let me share with you the way it all could have been.