The materials and making of Machine 2

Machine 2 was conceived through a number of rough sketches made in blue fountain pen. The drawings represented an idea of a machine rather than a plan for its construction. The machine itself was made in my attic studio from a variety of materials, some recycled. The process used for making this machine is similar to that used previously. It is more akin to dry stone walling than engineering.

A glossary of materials

Windscreen wiper
Found in the gutter, the windscreen wiper represents an upgrade from the original wooden arm. Having pre-drilled holes it was much easier to dismantle for transport to Exeter.

Surgical tape
I had broken my toe only a few weeks earlier and this leftover padded tape was lying around my studio.

Clip on bells
These were dug up from the garden, although a little rusty they still jingled. I attached them to the machine in order to weight the bottom of the arm. The bells improved the swing and made the camera tap on the glass a little more insistently.

Packing tape
This tape has "fragile" printed on it. It is usually used for wrapping sculptures. It was within reach at a vital moment.

Camera
Shipped from Hong Kong this is a simple digital camera (find out more), it is tapped against the glass once every 20 seconds. The image it produces is soft and tinged with green. As it repeated hits the glass there are small interferences in the image it transmits to the screen hung on the wall behind it. This image is upside down and as the camera moves it swings in and out of focus. Opposite are a pair of glass automatic doors which open for people to enter the gallery.

Wood
Crudely formed with a coping saw to form a base and a cam. The cam is not smoothly cut leading to a juddering motion. There is nothing true about the construction, joints are loose leading to a great deal of play in the workings. This makes the movement of the camera extremely eccentric, tentative even.
Dansette legs
Broken down from a piece of bedroom furniture. The legs can be unscrewed for transport.

Cotton reel
This is used as a linkage for the cam. It is secured with a screw which occasionally slips out. This is the most common breakdown of the machine. The result of this breakdown is that the camera stops tapping on the glass and twitches.

Motor
This is a mirror ball motor, it turns at a rate of one revolution every twenty seconds. If over stressed it will grind and can reverse direction. Over time the plastic cogs will lose their teeth, the motor will skip and eventually lose all motion besides a slight judder.