Matthew Rolston "Talking Heads" -- photographic portraits of ventrioloquist dummies

Diane Rosenstein Fine Art in Los Angeles has announced Talking Heads -- a solo exhibition of  photographs by Matthew Rolston. The show centers around large format photographic portraits of ventriloquist dummies. Each shot was done in the same manner, so that it is only the differences in the dummies that stand out.

From the exhibition description:

Matthew Rolston: Talking Heads will present monumental color portraits of dummies chosen from a collection of nearly seven hundred ventriloquists dolls (dating from 1820 – 1980) housed at the Vent Haven Museum in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky. In 2010, Rolston set up a portrait studio at the museum and photographed each of his subjects in an identical manner: square format, low angle, monochromatic backdrop, and a single light source.

Here is where you can read a and article on artdaily.com about the Talking Heads exhibition.

What
Talking Heads by Matthew Rolston

When
June 7 - July 12, 2014

Where
Diane Rosenstein Fine Art
831 North Highland Avenue
Los Angeles, California 90038
+1.323.397.9225
info@dianerosenstein.com

[ Thanks Michael! ]

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Machine Muse: Kinetic sculpture exhibition in Santa Monica, California

Kinetic sculptor Jim Jenkins wrote to share the announcement of an exhibition that opened on November 16th. The exhibition was co-curated by Dave Quick and Jenkins, who together co-authored a national survey of kinetic sculpture in the 1980s entitled Motion Motion Kinetic Art (Peregrine Smith Books, 1989). The show is located in Santa Monica, California and will be open until January 5th.

What:
MACHINE MUSE exhibition

Where:
Lois Lambert Gallery
Bergamot Station
2525 Michican Ave. E - 3
Santa Monica, CA 90404

When:
November 16th, 2013 to January 5, 2014

For more information visit www.loislambertgallery.com.

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Richard Garriott shows Martha Stewart automata from his collection

Did you know that legendary video game creator Richard Garriott collects automata? Here's a clip in which he teaches Martha Stewart about various forms of automata using examples from his own collection. Garriott's automata collection, features antiques as well works by almost all of the modern makers. The automata collection, vast as it is, can only be covered in part. We do get to see the works of three artists who surely deserve the limelight.

Here is a video that shows much more of Richard Garriott's automata collection.

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Call for artists - How do you as an artist respond to the concept of timekeeping?

I happen to be a member of the National Association of Watch and Clock Colllectors (NAWCC). In addition to offering classes, regional meetings, and an excellent publication, they have an impressive museum dedicated to watches and clocks. The video above tells you a bit about their museum.

I've received word that they have issued a call for artists for an upcoming exhibition. Why post about it here? Contributing artists are asked to respond to the concept of timekeeping. Special consideration will be given to works that are functional timekeepers. As a central resource for various forms of kinetic art, this show is decidedly on-topic.

From the Call for Artists:

A Matter of Time — This exhibit invites artists to respond to the concept of timekeeping and how it is represented today. Artists are encouraged to visit the museum and www.museumoftime.org for more information. Special consideration will be given to those works that are functional timekeepers as well. So how do you as an artist respond to the concept of timekeeping?

All of the details for submitting a work of art may be found on within the official call for artist announcement. The key thing to note is that the deadline for submission is Friday August 30, 2013. You will need to get them JPEG images on CD no later than that date. There is no entry fee.

Even if you don't submit a piece or attend the show, I would encourage you to make the two hour excursion from Philadelphia, Baltimore, or Washington DC to visit the National Watch and Clock Museum. If you find yourself in Scranton or Lancaster, PA you are within minutes of the museum.

[ Thanks Aaron! ]

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The Electric Animal Circus: it's robots in a circus...what's not to like?

Any of my attempts to explain The Electric Animal Circus will fall short. As the title of the post implies, it involves a circus, robots, and a dose of humor.

Beyond watching the film above, their website says this:

Pozzo and Grotsky's Electric Animal Circus is a new type of live show: robot animals performing circus-inspired acts in a post-apocalyptic variety show. This website exists to showcase the project as it develops from concept to stage.

If you enjoyed the introductory film, here is one featuring The Great Maestro Pickleton and His Unusual Musical Octopus:

And while the film feels like something that might be a Kickstarter project, the web site says that the project is Financed by Deutsche Bank. I may be missing a joke here, but that's what it says.

[ Thanks Joe! ]

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Automata by Dug North at World Maker Faire 2012

I participated in World Maker Faire New York for the first time this past weekend. Despite a bit of rain, it was a huge success all around.

Here's what my exhibit looked like moments before tens of thousands of people poured through the gates:

While I didn't get to see much of Maker Faire myself, I did get to meet a lot of people including fans, my favorite customer, readers, makers, Mark Frauenfelder, the awesome staff of MAKE magazine, Dale Dougherty (founder of MAKE Magazine and creator of Maker Faire), as well as fellow automaton-maker Philip Lowndes.

Here is a photo of my exhibit that I took quickly during a particularly slow moment. I received vast amounts of help from Julia Gavin and Bob Quinn (both shown behind the table in the photo below). I couldn't have done the show without them.

I won't kid you, it was all a lot of work, but it was well worth it for many reasons. I got to see thousands of faces -- young and old -- light up when the handles of my automata were cranked. That was tremendously gratifying. I also met many of you, the good readers of The Automata Blog. Thank you for coming by and for letting me know you enjoy the blog!

For those of you that couldn't make it, I'll be posting more videos of my automata on YouTube this week and perhaps even some footage of Maker Faire too!

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Cabaret Mechancial Theatre adds second show in London for 2012

CMT at Space Station Sixty-Five - Part 2

Cabaret Mechanical Theatre's recent summer exhibit in London was a great success, with over 10,000 people visiting the exhibition at Space Station Sixty-Five. They have just announced that there will be a second free exhibition in the same place.

Sausage Drawer by Paul Spooner

If you missed the first show, check out the video above, but more importantly, visit the upcoming show to a new selection of automata. As with the last show, there will be a shop to accompany the exhibit selling books, cutouts, kits, and automata. Until then, here are some links to books, cutouts, kits to tied you over.

Shown here is a photograph of Paul Spooner's classic automaton titled Sausage Drawer.

Details for the fall CMT exhibit

What:
CMT at Space Station Sixty-Five - Part 2

Where:
Space Station Sixty-Five
65 North Cross Road
London, SE22 9ET

When:
September, 2012 to January 2012
Thursday to Sundays 11 AM to 6 PM
Closed Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays

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InterPlay: Mechanical Objects exhibtion at the Southwest School of Art

InterPlay: Mechanical Objects will be an exhibit at the Southwest School of Art in San Antonio, Texas. Shown here is a piece by Benjamin Cowden titled Perennial Flux.

From the show description:

All works contain an interactive component empowering the viewer to move the object from the realm of pure aesthetic to experience.

With contributions from artists based in the United States and United Kingdom, it's an all-star line up including Alexis Archibald, Steve Brudniak, Ben Cowden, Kevin Curry, Nathan Dube, Forrest Gard, Keith Newstead, Laikingland, Miel Parades, Gary Schott, and Martin Smith. If you have a chance to see it, do not miss this show!

Exhibition Details:
InterPlay: Mechanical Objects
Sep 6, 2012 - Nov 25, 2012
9:00 am - 5:00 pm | Russell Hill Rogers Galleries, Navarro Campus
Opening Reception: Thursday, September 6 from 5:00 - 8:00 pm
Free and open to the public

For more information visit the Southwest School of Art's Upcoming Exhibitions page.

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New motorized kinetic sculptures by Tom Haney to be shown at Obsolete in Venice, California

Artist Tom Haney creates kinetic pieces, which we often refer to here as automata. The bodies for Haney's figures are carved from basswood and the heads are sculpted out of polymer clay. All of the mechanisms are made from scratch. In this new piece, a couple is depicted on a see-saw.

Tom Haney's blog is a wonderful behind-the-scenes look at how he goes about constructing his mechanical creations. Here we see the details of one of the figures and the handlebar mechanism, which keeps the figures upright as they move. This piece will be one of several featured in an upcoming show to feature Haney's work (details below).

Show details:
Obsolete Gallery
September 8th to October 13th

OBSOLETE
222 Main Street
Venice, California
Phone: 310-399-0024

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How It's Made video shows how mechanical singing birds are constructed

One of my favorite TV shows, How It's Made, covered mechanical singing birds. Check out the video above for a step-by-step view of how these mechanical marvels are constructed.

Here's a link to the singing bird tag on this blog, where you will find a great many examples!

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