I recently acquired a book titled "Figures in the Fourth Dimension - Mechanical Movement for Puppets and Automata" by Ellen S. Rixford. It is a lovely collection of the work of numerous artists of the craft. Check it out on her website or at http://www.figuresinthefourthdimension.com. I was draw by an untitled piece made by Paul Spooner in 1983 which was described as " ...a kind of mechanical cupboard in the form of an armless woman.... ". I was mesmerized and decided I had to design something that utilized a mechanism like the one in the lower section. This its the root of one of the two automata projects I am currently working on. So while I did paint some teeth this weekend I spent some more time working on a prototype for "The Lineup". As shown below it will use a wooden chain conveyor that will lead characters past a police lineup to identify the guilty party. It's been interesting figuring out how to make things work smoothly, but I think I'm getting there. Below is a quick video piece to show the prototype in operation. There is a lot to be added and most of the mechanism will be hidden by other stuff in weeks to come. A "guinea pig" automata chicken rides the circuit to test it out. Now back to working on the "Dental Office" for a few days.
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Why Automata?Automata is a creative blend of my life interests , engineering, art and woodworking. Archives
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