Welcome to: The Robotorium: Donation for a Good Cause

Monday, December 16, 2019

Donation for a Good Cause

I am woefully late with this post, but nonetheless, here it is. Back in October I donated a robot built for a charity event. The Nan Project is an organization dedicated to suicide prevention awareness, training and education. They are an amazing group doing absolutely life changing work. I am very close to the principals in the project, helped partner them with their first high-school and champion the work they do. Anyway Ellen Dalton, the project director, asked about me donating a sculpture to the annual charity auction, there was no hesitation in taking that on. The night was fun, they raised a bunch of money for a great cause, and Weston # 6 found a new home, a win all around. If you are not aware of what these people do please check them out - they really are saving lives.

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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.