Day 5 – Decoy

This evening we are pleased to present this lovely piece by Japanese automata maker Kazu Harada called ‘Decoy’.

The piece is beautifully carved, a sculpture which would grace any room.
Turn the handle for a surprise, the duck lays an egg, which then disappears.

Kazu spent a year studying in the UK in 2006 at University College Falmouth, and worked closely with Matt Smith and Fourteen Ball Toy Company where he developed his own style.

His piece ‘Banana Boat’ is currently on display at the CMT exhibition in DASA.

Day 4 – Tempus Fugit

This evening we bring you ‘Tempus Fugit’ a mechanical tableau by Simon Venus.
A very decorative piece, which comes to life at the turn of the handle.

Simon made this piece originally as a gift for Paul Spooner on the occasion of his 60th birthday.

There are three pieces available in this small edition.

Day 3 Sand Toys

‘The Musicians of Bremen’ is a sand operated mechanical paper kit by German paper artist Walter Ruffler.

Based on the famous fairytale by the Brothers Grimm, in which a donkey, a dog, a cat and a cockerel decide to become musicians in the North German town of Bremen.
Here we see the donkey tirelessly at the keyboard, as long as the sand keeps running.

This toy is powered by a sand motor. From a hopper in the upper part of the model sand trickles on a lever like an hourglass. As the weight of the sand gets heavier, the lever comes down which makes the forelegs go up. The forelegs and lever are connected by a toothpick as an axle. The sand glides down from the sloping lever and it raises up again.

Day 2 – Fingers

As the second night falls on Friday 13th…. we are bringing you something slightly unnerving.

The artist Nik Ramage has teamed up with Laikingland to produce a very special limited edition of his “Fingers” kinetic sculpture.

This piece is an eternally tapping copy of the artistâ??s own hand.

At the flick of a switch the resin cast fingers drum rhythmically until switched off. Keep it on your desk, and switch it on for those ponderous moments. Flick it off again when the muse strikes

They are only manufacturing 10 pieces this year and they will all be cast and assembled by the artist himself. These 10 pieces will be numbered and stamped as Artist’s Proofs and they are disappearing fast!

Nik Ramage describes himself as a mechanical sculptor who makes useless machines and invents contraptions that the world didn’t know it needed, such as this jelly wobbler machine.

Day 1 – Goat Kicking Bucket

We now have a new edition from the 14 Balls Toy Company of the original Goat featured on that newsletter.
‘Goats and Stress’
As everyone who has owned a goat will tell you they can be notoriously grumpy which in time can lead to stress and depression.
It is possible to employ a ‘Goat Counsellor’ to remedy the situation.
Alternatively this simple bucket device will do the job just as well!

Goats have featured in Paul Spooners designs since the early days. Have a look at the gallery below to see some examples.

So until tomorrow.