A pair of goldfish come to life in the Curious Contraptions exhibition, which runs until October 27. Photo / Supplied
A pair of goldfish come to life in the Curious Contraptions exhibition, which runs until October 27. Photo / Supplied
An array of pāua shells lights up in brilliant green. A dinghy crew rows vigorously through rough seas. A man eats spaghetti in the bath.
They perform the same action again and again, just three among dozens of little gadgets and gizmos now on display at Te Manawa in CuriousContraptions, a new, highly animated exhibition.
The name for all these machines is "automata". The museum was preparing an exhibition from English-based automata artisans Cabaret Mechanical Theatre, when programme developer Gary Collins discovered the work of Blair Somerville, a maker from Southland. Now Curious Contraptions features his work too.
"Blair is driven by a sort of upcycling ethos, where he'll walk along the beach and collect things, so he's always got stuff to make stuff from," Collins says.
"He'll put milk bottle tops into a sandwich press to make plastic sheets, which he can use as a colour filter for LEDs."
The exhibition has a high level of interactivity, with almost all the automata on display capable of being activated by the turn of a handle or the push of a button. The Queen waves her famous wave, a maestro hammers out a piano concerto, a cheeky dog goes skiing, and it's the visitor who makes it all happen.
"They have a character to them. It's like comics that have come alive; they can tell a story," Collins says.
More than 50 automata make up Curious Contraptions. Each occupies a strange space between toy and sculpture, and it's this that lends the exhibition its broad appeal. It combines the fascination of mechanics and engineering with the joy of pushing buttons and making stuff go. Visitors of all ages will find something to love.
Curious Contraptions is open until October 27. Entry is by donation.
