Blokebots, Biddybots, Buddybots & Puddybots.

A few weeks ago I decided to set aside my artwork for a while and begin work on another creative project that had caught my attention last year. The main appeal of these robots for me is the fact they are made up of vintage and found objects that were manufactured decades apart and are completely separate and unrelated components that would not normally fit together or be associated with each other. If you take Baz as an example, the 1950s housewife using her tin of tea would never think that it would one day be connected to a part of a military tank and form a design for a little robot some sixty years in the future. It's that kind of thing wherein the appeal lies, not forgetting the fact that each of the items used to make the robots would have probably been thrown out eventually, so the upcycling maintains their vintage identity for the life of the robot. They are all in the initial design phase at the moment, which means they are lined up in my head in various stages of assembly. This is convenient because they can be changed instantly should a better idea present itself and they can be constructed through to completion, so that I know how each one will be developed and what the final result will look like. At first, I had in mind to create five figures and then return to my artwork, but that has increased as new ideas take form. On a practical level, unless you are a metal worker and skilled in the appropriate tools, it can be a big learning curve. One of the main problems is that all the tools and equipment come in standard sizes, whereas robots definitely do not, so fastenings are problematic sometimes and require a bit of ingenuity and adaption. Our local supplier of all kind of tools and fittings is Tool Station in Lincoln, who have been extremely helpful and patient in advising and suggesting ideas. They don't get to talk about robots very often, but they're getting used to it. Thanks guys! Nick has been brilliant in helping with the design and practical issues, and it's got to the stage where he's thinking like a true artist instead of just an engineer. He comes up with things such as, 'those spanners will make good arms', or 'threaded rod would make great legs'. The trouble is, when he says things like this in shops or at the car boot sale, he sounds slightly insane. The robots are a great interest at the moment, but I'm wondering where they will all live.

#robots #metalwork