Machinations is a visitor centre in Mid Wales and the only permanent exhibition of contemporary Automata (mechanical moving models) in the UK. What is more, most of them are created and hand-crafted by the centre's founder and director Eric Williamson.
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| Eric Williamson with one of his models. This one, called The Three Musicians, was severely damaged when a 14-year-old visitor climbed on it. It is now under reconstruction but will take a long time to repair, because many of the mechanical parts are hard to replicate. |
Eric has spent his whole life making models. He started with rocking horses and marionettes back in the 1970s and originally specialized in wood - both for carved detail and for mechanical components, but later added other materials to expand the scope of his designs. He is also the designer of
"Timberkits", which are moving wooden models you make yourself.
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| The Skateboarder by Timberkits |
A Day in Machinations
We were visiting a friend in Wales and she suggested that we go to Machinations. While admiring the clever and beautifully handcrafted automata, we ended up talking to Eric Williamson! It was unplanned and unexpected, and we did not realize who he was until the middle of the conversation. I absolutely loved his spirit of creativity and innovation.
On the video below you will see some of the mechanical models he made himself. They are beautifully carved to the smallest detail: facial features, hands, etc. Eric told us that he used to make one a week and for a while even produced them as kits.
The conversation became even more fascinating when he started talking about his desire to involve young people in making things by themselves (from about 3:38 min on the video). He feels that nowadays we are overreliant on computers, instead of simply using them as tools.
Timberkits come with all needed wooden pieces and clear how-to-build instructions. The models include a handle to bring them in motion, but there is also an additional battery kit with everything you need in order to motorize them.
"What I wanted to do is to get young people in the business of making things," says Eric. The kits are a fun way to achieve this aim and are suitable for children from the age of 9 years. All wooden kits are made with sustainably sourced New Zealand pine. Initially produced in the company's small factory in Wales, they are now manufactured in China.
We recorded a short video with some of the ready-built and motorized models on display in Machinations visitor centre.
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