Exhibit featuring The Wonderful World of Rodney Peppé

I've received word from the folks at Cabaret Mechanical Theatre of a new exhibition featuring the work of Rodney Peppé.

I don't know how many times I've referenced his book on my own, on this blog, or to those new to the art form who are looking for a good book with which to start. I've said that if you were to have just one book on making Automata and Mechanical Toys, his would be the one to have.

While often recognized as an important author, it's not often that we get to see his work up close and personal. This new exhibit at the Ruthin Craft Centre will be just such an opportunity.

From the exhibition description:

The humorous and quintessentially British exhibits represent Peppé's creative life; from his early days as a graphic designer in London's 1960's advertising world, through to a wealth of charming children's books which he wrote and illustrated. Running concurrently throughout his visual and written work is his amazing collection of hand crafted models, toys and automata.

This is sure to be a fascinating exhibit -- one that you won't want to miss if you can make it to the area.

What: The Wonderful World of Rodney Peppé

When: March 16th – May 12th, 2013

Where:
Ruthin Craft Centre
Gallery 1, Ruthin Craft Centre
Ruthin, Denbighshire, LL15 1BB

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Spooky Love: A Danse Macabre - automaton book by Thomas Kuntz

Check out this recent work by sculptor and automaton maker, Thomas Kuntz.The beautiful leather-bound book when opened, features a pair of well-dress skeletons dancing under the moonlit sky. The music box movement, made by the renowned Reuge company, was adapted to power the scratch-built cam and lever system that makes the skeletons dance and the moon change size. Some interesting still shots towards the end of the video show some of the artist's in-process shots.

See more automata by Thomas Kuntz on his web site.

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Japanese Autoamta - New book about 18th century Japanese automatic mechanical devices

There is a wonderful new book out titled Japanese Automata - Karkuri Zui: An Eighteenth Century Japanese Manual of Automatic Mechanical Devices. This book by Kazuo Murakami translates into English the unique book Karakuri Zui, originally published in 1796. The book starts with an introduction which explains the history of karakuri. What follows is a complete translation of Karakuri Zui which explained the mechanisms and methods of construction for several Japanese clocks and mechanical toys of the Edo period in Japan (1603-1867).

Murakami-San wrote to tell me about the Tumbling Acrobot automaton shown in the video above, which I've posted about in the past. He explains that the tumbling doll seems to have already been invented by the beginning of 18th century. Like many of the fine automata of the past, the Tumbling Acrobat was a toy for wealthy people. There is some evidence that the the doll was brought to Europe by the Dutch, where it was then imitated, westernized, improved, and manufactured by German toy makers to look more like this.

The great magician and automaton-maker, Robert-Houdin, bought a tumbling doll from a French toy maker. This story is recounted in the book Two Odd Volumes on Magic and Automata.

All of this information and more is covered in detail in Kazuo Murakami's new book, Japanese Automata. This soft cover book has a total of 257 pages with 104 original diagrams and drawings of the mechanical devices made during the Edo period. It has been published in a limited run of 500 copies.

Here is where you can see sample pages, reviews, and order the book Japanese Autoamta.

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The Unwelcome Dinner Guest automaton by Dug North is available!

It's not often I get to say that I have something that is available for sale!

I've done a few posts about this The Unwelcome Dinner Guest automaton that I made for the article I wrote for Gizmos & Gadgets magazine. Those posts are scattered about, so I decided to add a new page to the automata section of my web site. The new page features the movie you see here, some additional information about the piece, as well as some photos and early sketches I drew while designing the automaton.

As I mentioned, this piece is for sale. Details may be found on the new page.

Here is the new page on DugNorth.com for The Unwelcome Dinner Guest automaton.

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Britain's best collector of bizarre, weird and unusual devices and gadgets

I posted yesterday about the book Ingenious Gadgets. No sooner had I posted than I heard from the expert on all things mechanical and kinetic, Falk Keuten, who writes the excellent Spiel und Kunst mit Mechanik blog. Herr Keuten was kind enough to inform me that the author of the book was featured in the video you see above. It's great to see pictures, but even better to see these antique contraptions on film! I was also made aware of the author Maurice Collins's associated web site called VictorianGadgets.com. The site describes itself as "A collection of bizarre, weird and unusual manufactured devices and gadgets, used in everyday life between the years of the Great exhibition of 1851 to the Festival of Britain 1951."

I should also point out that Maurice Collins is also the author of a similar book called Eccentric Contraptions: And Amazing Gadgets, Gizmos and Thingamabobs. Like the book mentioned above, this one shows you 100 bizarre and ingenious gadgets from the collection of Maurice Collins.

Here is an article on Maurice Collins by Esra Magazine. The article explains how Collins became a collector of weird, eccentric, and everyday gadgets from the past.

Here is a post about Maurice Collins from 2011 on the Spiel und Kunst mit Mechanik blog.

[ Thanks Falk! ]

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Ingenious Gadgets book challenges you to guess the purpose of 100 obscure contraptions from the past

Over the course of 224 pages, author Maurice Collins challenges the reader to guess the purpose of 100 mysterious gadgets from the past. A brief description on page accompanies a large color photograph of the strange, silly, and clever contraptions on the adjoining page. Chapters cover gadgets for:

• The Working Day
• Domestic Economy
• The Stuff of Life
• Out and About
• Body and Soul

From the book description:

Marvel at the ingenuity of the cuff holder which, as legend has it, was used by cardsharps at the poker table to hide the ace up their sleeves; find out how to make the perfect camping cuppa 1920s style; and decide whether the 1920s electric comb really could prevent hair loss. If you thought that phone cameras were a great invention find out more about the watch camera of the 1900s; if you've always found shaving too taxing, there is an automatic shaving cream filler and brush in the collection which allowed you to save time in that early morning rush to work - who knows why this never took off?

One of my favorite weekend pastimes is hunting around antique stores searching for old tools and other items. Trying to figure out the purpose of mysterious items is also a big part of the fun. It's interesting to see the huge number of ideas that have been brought to market over the years, as well as which ones never really took off. This book is like wandering through one of those antique stores, but you can do it from the comfort of your living room or nearest coffee shop. This book makes a nice gift for the gadget lover and history buff.

Here is where you can get Ingenious Gadgets: Guess the Obscure Purpose of Over 100 Eccentric Contraptions

Here is Maurice Collins's associated web site: Victorian Gadgets.com

[ Thanks Falk! ]

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Room for Wonder - A film about the magical collections of Richard Garriott

This short film features the many collections of Richard Garriott de Cayeux -- video game developer, entrepreneur, and space traveler. Garriott built Britannia Manor to serve as his observatory, home, and occasionally, a giant interactive haunted house. An avid collector of amazing and unusual objects, Garriott's home could fairly be classified as a museum. In this film, magician Brad Henderson from Austin, Texas takes you through this extraordinary collection, room by room.

Among the countless wonders and secret passages, you will find a collection of historic space-related artifacts in Garriott's office, complete with one of the original Sputnik satellites. In the dungeon, you can stare in awe at the shrunken heads and vampire hunting kits. In the laboratory, you will find esoteric scientific instruments and orreries, mechanical models of the planets moving around the sun.

I know you guys will be most interested in Garriott's automata collection, featuring antiques as well works by almost all of the modern makers. The automata collection, vast as it is, can only be covered in part, but you do get to see the works of three artists who surely deserve the limelight.

First, you see Paul Spooner's inimitable wit and ingenuity play out in his Sex Change Machine and Poisoned Milk automaton. The mechanism that makes the cat's tongue seem to lap up the spilled milk is a fine example of Spooner's cleverness.

Next, you get a close-up view of the Argentinian artist Pablo Lavezzari's piece Facing a Fake Foe -- a detailed automaton-within-an-automaton depicting a knight fighting a dragon. The dragon, as it turns out, is a fake controlled by a small demon figure. The piece is also notable for its mechanically produced dragon roar sound effect.

Finally, you are shown a few of the macabre and magical automata created by Thomas Kuntz. Kuntz hand sculpts each of the figures and scratch builds the all of the mechanical elements for his pieces, often on vintage watchmaker's lathes. His autoamta seem to be the direct descendants of the most exquisite automata of centuries past. His piece titled L'Oracle du Mort is a modern masterpiece, featuring an oracle who -- with the help of two imps, the Grim Reaper, and a burst of real flame -- will answer your questions.

Amidst so many incredible automata, and artists whom I hold in the highest esteem, I'm dazed and delighted that one of my own pieces made it into the footage. A Dug North original, titled The Birthing Engine is shown and mentioned early on. I couldn't be more pleased.

This film is rare look at one of the finest collections of contemporary automata in existence. I am glad it was made and I am glad to have had the chance to share it with you.

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Wall-mounted wooden marble machine with weight-driven escapement

Derek Hugger wrote in to say that he has spent the past few months designing a fully mechanical marble machine. Titled Kinestrata, the assembly is driven by a 2 1/2 pound weight via the classic Graham Escapement -- named for George Graham (1673-1751)an English clockmaker and inventor who is thought to have created it around 1715.

Kinestrata measures 11 x 17 x 5 inches and contains some 386 parts. The balls roll down 4 unique tracks and are lifted back to the top of the machine by 3 geared lifter rings. Hugger says that it took roughly 400 hours to design and build! Plans should be available for it in the next month or two. We'll keep you posted!

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Charming little rotund wooden elephant ramp walker toy

We've seen quite a few wooden ramp walkers, most from the talented and generous Roberto Lou Ma. To change things up a bit, here's one made in Germany. Like other ramp walkers, this one just needs to be placed at the top of a slight incline and given a little push to put it in motion. I love the use of its trunk! The company that sells this little elephant also offers a ramp walking person, hedgehog, and rabbit.

Here is where you can get this wooden elephant ramp walker toy.

[ Thanks Joe! ]

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With One You Get Birthday Cake - kinetic sculpture by Gina Kamentsky

Here is another delightful hand-cranked contraption in the mechanical series that artist Gina calls Mechanical Confections.

As ususal, there is a satisfying assortment of mechanical components: a periodically engaging set of bevel gears; a ball bearing on a shifting incline plane; a Geneva wheel; a pair of offset cams causing two followers to toggle up and down; a chiming bell; and, of course, a spinning wooden block with various items printed on its faces -- one of which shows a birthday cake.

See more kinetic sculptures by Gina Kamentsky on her web site.

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Joseph Walker mechanical toy features drawing artist

I've posted several times in the past about Vielmetter's drawing clown tin toy. Shown here is a toy very much like that one.

From the YouTube description;

The Drawing Artist made by Joseph Walker of Birmingham is a very rare painted and copper plated toy. Operated by winding the handle in the base, a double cam allows the seated figure to draw a portrait of a number of 19th century personalities -- in this case the cams that accompany the toy are of Gladstone and Lord Salisbury.

David Hall wrote in to provide some interesting information about the history of both toys. As it turns out, the toy shown here pre-dates the Vielmetter clown artist. It was made by Joseph Walker of Birmingham, England around 1880. It is thought that at some point in the late 19th century Vielmetter purchased the rights to the mechanism. Some evidence lies in the design of the toys themselves. Different cams can be loaded into the machines. The profile of the cam determines the picture that is drawn. The Walker drawing toy cams are interchangeable with the Vielmetter.

[ Thanks David! ]

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Magnificent silver swan automaton by John-Joseph Merlin

The Wall Street Journal featured a nice article on the silver swan automaton housed at the Bowes Museum. The swan was created by John-Joseph Merlin (1735 – 1803), a Belgian inventor and horologist. The automaton is indeed a marvel of mechanical design.

From the Wall Street Journal article:

The most complex machinery is in the neck. The movement is driven by four springs, each about one millimeter thick. There are five levers: one operates the lower bill to preen the feathers and "eat" the fish; the second operates the fish (which is concealed in the neck) that the bird appears to catch; the third allows the swan's head to nod; the fourth arches the neck; and the fifth is linked to the middle and allows its graceful movement.

Once a day, the automaton is set in motion. The bird looks left and right, then turns its neck around as if to preen the silver feathers on its back. Spinning glass rods in front of the majestic bird give the impression of a flowing stream in which several small fish seem to swim. The bird spots the fish and plunges down, beak agape, to catch one. Upon rising, a wriggling silver fish is seen within the bird's beak. After a few moments, the bird swallows the metallic fish and the show ends.

Here is the article in the Wall Street Journal about the silver swan automaton: Magic Wrought by a Merlin.

[ Thanks Bob! ]

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The Roentgens' Berlin Secretary Cabinet - Even the secret compartments have secret compartments!

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is featuring the works of Abraham Roentgen (1711–1793) and his son David (1743–1807) in an exhibit titled Extravagant Inventions. The Roentgens were know for their innovative designs, which often incorporated sophisticated and surprising mechanical devices into the lavish furniture styles of the period.

From the exhibit web page:

Some sixty to sixty-five pieces of furniture and clocks—several of which have never before been lent for exhibition—are complemented by paintings and prints that depict these unrivaled masterpieces in contemporary interiors. The most complicated mechanical devices are illustrated through virtual animations. Working drawings, portraits of the cabinetmakers, their family, and important patrons, as well as a series of documents owned by the Metropolitan Museum and originating from the Roentgen estate, underline the long-overlooked significance and legacy of the Roentgens as Europe's principal cabinetmakers of the ancien régime.

If there is any chance you can see this exhibit, you have until January 27, 2013 to make it happen.

What:
Extravagant Inventions - The Princely Furniture of the Roentgens

Where:
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
1000 Fifth Avenue
New York, New York 10028-0198
Phone: 212-535-7710
Web: http://www.metmuseum.org/en/exhibitions/listings/2012/roentgen

When:
October 30, 2012 to January 27, 2013

[ Thanks Kevin and Falk! ]

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Tumbleweed - an early kinetic wooden sculpture by David C. Roy

David C. Roy has been making his own unique style of kinetic wooden sculptures for a while now. Here one of his first. According to Roy, "Tumbleweed was one of the last sculptures I designed in 1976. I was looking for a way to create more rotations of the "pendulum" wheel before reversing." Unlike his more recent works which are spring-driven, this one is powered by a falling weight. But all of the classic David Roy hallmarks are there: beautiful wooden forms, spinning gracefully, almost silently, creating interesting movements and patterns.

You can see more kinetic sculptures by David C. Roy at his web site, Wood That Works

[ Thanks Christoph! ]

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Hand-cranked metallic mechanical fish by Chris Cole

Here's an fascinating automaton to start your week. This piece, titled Delmar, was created by artist Chris Cole. The hand-cranked automaton depicts a fish. The kinetic sculpture features a chain drive, a fanning dorsal fin made of wrenches, several cranks, exposed linkages, and eyes made from sprockets. This fish is mechanical inside and out!

Check out more sculptures on Chris Cole's web site.

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Robotic pack animal can carry a 400 pound load and follow a human through the woods

The folks at Boston Dynamics are still working on semi-autonomous walking robots. You may recall my post about their BigDog robot back in 2008. The pack-robot shown here is known as the "LS3". The idea was to create a semi-autonomous legged robot to carry heavy loads -- gear for soldiers in this case. This robot is able to carry 400 lbs of a equipment, follow a human through some pretty rugged terrain, and accept voice commands. The most remarkable section comes at the end of the video when the robot takes a fall down a steep bank. It rolls over and eventually stands back up!

You can read more in this article from The Daily Mail published a few days ago.

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"Doppelgänger" automaton by Tom Haney depicts an amusing and awkward scene

Here is a brand new motorized automaton by artist Tom Haney. The subtle motions are perfect for this amusing and somewhat awkward situation. The slow, deliberate timing invoked by the cams in the mechanism below the piece create the perfect effect. As with other videos by the artist, there are wonderful "in progress" shots which include details about the construction of the figures and video of the exposed mechanism in action.

You can see more about this an other automata on Tom Haney's web site.

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Mechanical universal Turing machine uses ball bearings for memory

This charming contraption is described a "mechanical universal Turing machine". According the all-knowing Wikipedia:

A Turing machine is a hypothetical device that manipulates symbols on a strip of tape according to a table of rules. Despite its simplicity, a Turing machine can be adapted to simulate the logic of any computer algorithm, and is particularly useful in explaining the functions of a CPU inside a computer.

Here is a presentation by the maker, Jim MacArthur, describing the background of the machine. I gather the catch with this machine is that you have to assume that the length of track is infinite.

The machine was made mostly out of scrap metal and wood. The components include magnets, springs, cams and levers. It uses ball bearings as its memory. No electrical components were used, other than one small motor used to drive it.

[ Thanks Christoph! ]

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