While wandering the internet in my typical fashion, I was stopped dead in my clickings by the sight of this remarkable artist and his creation. Don’t you love her? She’s made entirely from typewriter parts. And she’s not an only child. Jeremy Mayer has created a whole world of these fantastic creatures. That’s a lot of dismantled typewriters!
In 1995, Mayer was given an old Olivetti typewriter and asked to drop it off at Goodwill. Instead of handing it over, though, he took it apart and starting playing with it. Twenty years later, he’s still playing with typewriters. He doesn’t glue or wire or weld the parts together to create his sculptures, either. He attaches the parts to each other using only materials native to the machines.
“There are a lot of things we’ve created that are just sitting around inert. . . This is our chance to take everything we have, pick it all apart, choose the best parts, and reassemble it.”
I try not to overuse the word genius, but in this case, I think the label definitely fits. His understanding of anatomy is phenomenal. These sculptures are so incredibly lifelike, it feels like they might move on their own when you’re not looking.
He’s very prolific, but here’s a pretty good cross section of his work. And don’t miss the video goodies at the bottom!
And to keep you entertained while you marvel over these complex and beautiful sculptures, here’s a little theme music!
I was thrilled to discover he gave a TEDx Talk in 2012. He’s very well spoken, and his process is as compelling as his work.
November 23, 2014 at 8:42 am
Even if this artist didn’t look like Robert Downey, Jr.’s brother, this would be well worth the twenty minutes to read and watch. Here’s another artist I know you’ll like – Jason Lyons. He’s a fine and interesting man with wild imagination and loads of skill. Cheers! https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jason-Lyons-Repurposing-Sculptor/108863409213964
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November 23, 2014 at 9:12 am
Nothing spare about this. Great stuff.
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November 23, 2014 at 2:04 pm
I’m glad you enjoyed it! I’d love to see one of these things in person. They’re huuuuge!
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November 23, 2014 at 2:15 pm
BTW, on a similar (okay, a stretch) note, I saw that Microsoft deployed 300 pound five foot surveillance robots at its Bay Area facility. I like your typewriter creatures better.
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November 23, 2014 at 2:17 pm
Yike! Agreed.
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November 23, 2014 at 1:34 pm
Amazing.
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November 23, 2014 at 2:04 pm
Thank you!
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November 23, 2014 at 5:11 pm
These are amazing!!!
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November 23, 2014 at 7:27 pm
I loved them, too!
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November 25, 2014 at 4:10 pm
Great! I haven’t heard that in years – As someone who actually trained to be a typist in pre-computer days, it has a special place in my heart… 😉 LOVE the creatures.
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November 25, 2014 at 4:16 pm
I learned to type on a portable Smith-Corona from the thirties. I can still remember the finger muscles I developed and the smell of the case when I opened it. My mother bought me an IBM Selectric in the early eighties and threw out the old manual typewriter. Broke my heart.
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