Not Yet by Paul Spooner

A new limited edition from Paul Spooner.

‘Another piece that exploits the attractive/repulsive effects of neodymium magnets. The handle turns a cylinder in which a magnet is inserted radially so that its poles alternate, causing a magnet buried in the fish to feel attracted or repelled by turns. The foil, which is pure tin and beautiful stuff in its own right, stops the fish from becoming airborne.
I didn’t think of a title until I was half-way through making the batch. When I was at art school there was a kiln in the pottery on which the tutor often chalked; “NOT YET” to stop people opening the door too soon. If I don’t admit to not knowing quite why this piece has the same title, some people might think that it represents some deep thought about time and existence.
Finishing them on Remembrance Day, and having to date-stamp them 11/11/11 will only add to the suspicion that I’ve started taking myself too seriously’.

Dimensions
80mm Wide x 40mm Deep x 50mm High

£41.50 (Excl. VAT)

Lab Birds

Fi Henshall’s latest piece The Lab Birds features two birds with an interest in science.
The intricate mechanism includes bellows, cams and linkages, which produce realistic bird tweets, and graceful movements on the inquisitive birds.
Wood, metal and paint.

Dimensions
40 cm High
21 cm Wide
13 cm Deep

£475 (excl VAT)

Sold

A Literary Feast by Fi Henshall

The latest automata edition from Fi Henshall features a beautiful but hungry bird, intent on devouring the book ‘Beasts’ by R C Bird.
Great style and movement.
This piece will be produced in an edition, and details may vary slightly. (Bespoke book title requests will be considered).

W 10cm
D 10cm
H 13cm

£195 (Excl. VAT)

See more pictures in the shop here.

The Turk – A Machine that Draws Forever by Paul Spooner

Paul Spooner’s latest piece in his series of machines which draw forever is a homage to the famous Chess Playing Turk automaton.

The New Turk is built on the standard chassis design of P. Spooner Stithians’s popular “Clever Hans” model but with a host of add-on goodies. The Turk, in this version, has tired of the usual challenges to his mechanical prowess and has set aside his chess set, Rubik’s Cube and Sudoku to embark on the incredible feat of Drawing Forever.

£2750 (excl. VAT)

Sold.

You can see more pictures and read the full story here.

Spooner Virtual Exhibition now Open

We are delighted to announce the launch of Paul Spooner’s Virtual Exhibition today.

Paul Spooner was 60 earlier this year, and we are celebrating with this new exhibition of pieces he has made during the year.

During your visit you will see videos, photos and drawings of the pieces.  You can also eavesdrop on some ‘behind the scenes’ discussions and look through Paul’s sketchbook drawings of the works.  The exhibition includes a very special new ‘Centennial’ edition of Manet’s Olympia.

We hope you enjoy your visit.

Enter it here.

Paul Spooner’s 60th Birthday Exhibition

In celebration of Paul Spooner’s 60th Birthday this month we are preparing for a new virtual exhibition of his work which will be online from 20th November 2008.  We will also be publishing a celebratory book to coincide with the exhibition. Read more

Carlos Zapata at Royal Academy

A new work by the Colombian automata maker Carlos Zapata is currently being exhibited at the Royal Academy’s Summer Exhibition in London.

In the piece a man protecting a small child is being beaten by soldiers. Carlos has always been concerned about the ill treatment of innocent people, and the fact that very often nothing is done to stop it – even though it is known to be taking place.
Whilst turning the handle of this piece the audience realises that the he or she is actually taking part in the torture.

The exhibition continues until 19th August 2007.

I Remember Gundestrup

Paul Spooner’s latest piece, ‘I Remember Gundestrup’ is currently on show at our exhibition at Kinetica. The two figures slowly move around in the vessel of blood-red Janus heads.
For those who can’t visit, the caption reads:-

‘This is not as bad as it looks: customs change in Denmark as they do all over most of the world. Long ago when customs were unlike those of today (in most places) a young prince of Denmark had had a bloody but ultimately successful battle. Luckily, he possessed a wondrous cauldron that had the magical property of reviving any corpse that was simmered in it. That sort of thing happened in those days. The woman is someone he won in the battle.’

Heads will roll.

Ron Fuller restores Adam and Eve Pub

Ron Fuller is currently restoring the Adam and Eve pubic bar, the only remaining complete scene from the Ride of Life. The bar will be operational at our exhibition at Kinetica from 6th April to 5th May.

To give you a flavour of the completed scene, here are some of Ron’s words from 1989.

 
Welcome to the pubic bar of the Adam & Eve English Pub

Your average â??Soup in the Basketâ??, gas â??ever-burn fake log fieâ??, road house. Smells of stale cider, cigar buffs, & unemptied spittoons. The landlord (Adam) & the landlady (Eve) are in their â??birthdayâ?? suits – the landlord pulls pints (0.5lt) of Black Shaft English lager and wipes the drips off the counter. The landlady smokes, drinks, waves, & winks. The â??Vikingâ?? motor bike fruit machine man is the snake in the grass – the beast that bites. To be decent Eveâ??s breasts are hidden by the cider pumps, but to tell you they are still there they pulse with light. the whole scene pulses, throbs, goes up and down. in and out -
FERTILITY + CREATION. We can’t wait….

Cash for Honours on Southwold Pier

On a visit to Southwold Pier last month with Tim Hunkin and his wife Meg (pictured) I was very privileged to pay an English Guinea (or £1.10) and get my own honour from Tim’s new machine ‘Decoration Direct’.

I also had a very satisfying £1 worth of fun with Tim’s Art Apocalypse - smashing the sculpture at the end very convincingly I thought – one could get addicted to such things…