i wish i was here....

Top of my destination wish-list for this summer is Southwold Pier which is home to "a mad arcade of home-made slot machines and simulator rides".   Under the pier show was created by Tim Hunkin, an english engineer, cartoonist, writer and artist who lives in Suffolk.    His work embodies the very best of British: inventive, quirky, full of wit and humour and truly original.


My favourite machines include:  

Sit inside and the booth activates mechanisms to provoke a wide range of expressions while taking the photos:

And rent-a-dog:  Stand on the treadmill, hold the dog's lead and go for a walk.  Includes stops at several interesting sights.  Features dogs POV and excellent barky soundtrack.

Tim even shares his knowledge and passion for all things automata by providing a very thorough tutorial on how to create your own slot machine.  

Check out the excellent clips below:

www.underthepier.com

timhunkin.com

eco warriors

Watch how we turned this....

into these.....!

I've just spent a really fun, but full on saturday at the art shop and gallery in abergavenny, south wales where I ran two workshops in one day (phew!)  In the morning a group of eco warriors, aged 8-10 years, made body armour from recylcled cardboard boxes and packaging.  The session started with creative brainstorming, drawing & design.  After a break including cakes provided by the (award winning) angel hotel, the designs were then realised in 3D using the HUGE pile of cardboard, some metallic paint, glue, scissors & some brass split pins from my stationary drawer.  The results were awesome...

In the afternoon, a busy group of 5-7 year olds created swords and shields using the same huge pile of cardboard boxes & materials.  Again, the session began with some creative drawings & designs which were then translated into this arsenal of rather beautiful weaponry.

Thanks so much to the wonderful Pauline for having me, and to Lucienne for the pictures