Automata experts from Forres have been invited to a glitzy festival in Venice to demonstrate their skills.
Michael and Maria Start from the House of Automata in Forres are flying out to La Biennale di Venezia on the exotic island of San Giorgio Maggiore from 10 to 13 September.
The festival is a celebration of art, architecture, cinema, dance, theatre and history, while Michael and Maria are well-know worldwide for their expertise in this field.
On the tiny island they will demonstrate automata-making and restoration to visitors to Homo Faber 2024 which is part of the festival.
Michael said he was excited to representing Scotland: “Three months ago we got a phone call from a man who invited us to take part in The Venice Biennale in an expenses-paid trip to demonstrate our rare skills for the Homo Faber organisation of international artisans.
“Homo Faber is part of the Michelangelo Foundation, a well-respected global arts organisation.”
Michael added he is particularly looking forward to the food: “The only restaurant on our island has a Michelin-starred chef and we have been promised breakfast and lunch.”
During the demonstration, Michael will re-cover a small pneumatic three-chamber bellows with Zephyr skin. Renewing the paper valves, and aking leather gaskets and tuning the whistle. He will re-fit the bellows in the mechanism and demonstrate the birdsong.
He’ll also show the restoration of a ‘Rabbit in a Cabbage’ repairing the puckered leaves, fur and mechanism of this classic French automaton from 1890.
Maria will demonstrate the re-feathering of a tiny singing bird. Selecting and shaping feathers before applying the feather fragments to the shells of the birds body.
She’ll also make a doll-sized papier mache hand, sculpting it in clay, and using a mould to cast in papier mache before gesso is applied.
