Welcome to: The Robotorium: October 2017

Saturday, October 14, 2017

The Latest EE 1626

Here is the latest creation. I have been working on this one a while but was sort of held up by how to attach the big wheel to the body. I knew I wanted the main wheel, trailing wheel combo, but figuring out how to make it work took a while. In the end I fabricated some brackets to make it all work and am happy with how it turned out. I have two more in the works.

People's Choice Award!

I was quite flattered to learn that Weston #4 tied for the People's Choice Award at the members show at the Mosesian Center. How cool to have my work recognized by other artists.

Here is a screen grab of the award winners, congrats to everyone, it was a great time!

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.