Device: Fantastic Contraption: 1

by Gregory Brotherton, Gareth Branwyn, Ashley Wood

An international group of contemporary artists whose work embodies the genius of invention and creativity have been bought together by Device Gallery to exhibit their most Fantastic Contraptions, creating a remarkable collection of curious things.

Genres: Art

136 pages, Paperback

First published July 29, 2008

Reviews

[Parka · Rating 4 out of 5]

(More pictures at parkablogs.com)

This is one weird and interesting book put together by The Device Gallery. Device Volume 1 is a collection of handmade devices ranging from mechanical steel insects to painted illustrations of robots.

The artists included are John U. Abrahamson, Eduard Anikonov, Wayne Martin Belger, Gregory Brotherton, Christopher Conte, H.R. Giger, Nemo Gould, Stephane Halleux, William B. Hand, D. Hwang, Eric Joyner, Theo Kamecke, Viktor Koen, Mike Libby, Kazukiho Nakamura, Ashley Wood.

Some of the gadgets are really fascinating and some creepy. Wayne Martin Belger likes designing cameras. The parts he used other than metal, includes skulls, antler, gemstones and even HIV-positive blood. On the one that uses HIV-positive blood, he said it's "designed to shoot a geographic comparison of people suffering from HIV". The camera looks nothing like a camera but a piece of machinery, an exquisite piece of machinery.

Gregory Brotherton uses steel primary and his design has a clean industrial feel to it. Christophe Conte and Mike Libby have mechanical insects that almost look alive. H.R.Giger has some Alien sculptures. D. Hwang has a serpentine-looking bike that is wickedly cool. And there's Kazuhiko Nakamura's haunting and surreal hybrid of man and machine. Towards the back of the book there are artists who paint their inventions, among them is Ashley Wood with his world war robots.

This is a fascinating book recommended for those who like devices and DIY gadgets.