Welcome to: The Robotorium: February 2017

Friday, February 10, 2017

Another creation

I finished this one this week while we were getting hit with this winters first real storm. I had the day off so I spent a portion of it at the bench. This one is about 3 inches tall. I really like it, especially the fact that it has no real front or back, it kinda works both ways.

Wednesday, February 1, 2017

Lots going on

The past week or two have been busy. This is the bench in the Robotorium. Right now I have 6 different robots in varying stages of completion. When I get going like this the bench gets kind of crazy, but it's how I work. I love it when I have a bunch going on. It allows me to jump between projects, so if Im stuck I go to something else, or another idea pops into being and off I go. Not the most efficient way to work, but a lot of fun.

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.