Automata Class with Bryony Knox and Isabelle Moore - The magic marriage of wood and metal!
Get to grips with the fundamentals of automata making during this first weekend workshop with two of Edinburgh’s practicing Visual Artists, held in their distinct studio spaces at Coburg Studios and Unit 5, Albion Business Centre. Choose a flying fish or flying pig to amaze and delight your friends while learning the basic techniques to make and animate a figure with simply made mechanisms, engineered in wood and metal.
On Saturday you’ll be guided through making the bearing box (or frame) in wood, with dovetail joinery to support the mechanism and figure with Isabelle in her workshop. After demonstration, you’ll be guided through using hand tools to accurately cut and fit the box joints. Holes will be drilled to carry the shaft and crank handle. You’ll learn about cams and followers and how these can be interchanged to produce a variety of motion in the figures.
On Sunday you’ll work with Bryony to make your flying figure in thin copper sheet from templates, using simple embossing techniques to form shape and emboss detail your chosen animal. You’ll then assemble the completed figure with wire linkages and simple hinged connections, with the cam & follower mechanism inside the bearing box on the shaft. Learn useful soldering techniques whilst fashioning brass connections.
Then crank the handle and delight in the wonder of the transformation as your automata comes to life and takes flight.
All materials and tools required will be supplied for your project.
Time 9:30am – 5:00pm £380 for weekend course.
Saturday 16th March - Unit 5 Albion Business Centre 78 Albion Road Edinburgh EH7 5QZ
Sunday 17th March – Studio 6, 15 Coburg Street Leith Edinburgh EH6 6ET
Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with either of us if you have any queries:
