Artist in residence Michael Brown and the Tinkering Studio hosted the first annual, invitation-only Mechanical Mischief: Twisted Toys workshop on Saturday, May 8, 2010.
Twisted Toys was a “live” event: Exploratorium visitors watched the creative projects unfold over the course of the day. In the spirit of Project Runway, we videotaped the workshop and captured each artist describing their toy-inspired vision and process. Michael Brown played the helpful host (a là Tim Gunn), interviewing artists and offering guidance with the toys’ mechanisms, as well as other general assistance.
23 creative individuals took part in a day-long process of reinvention and reinterpretation. Each participant begun with one of 23 identical, battery-operated toys. They spent the next six hours using their favorite tools, a handful of pre-chosen supplies, and all of their skills and imagination to transform their toy into something special. At the end of the day, we demonstrated how 23 people can remake the same object into a variety of creations.
The finished works were then displayed at Maker Faire, May 22 and 23, and returned to the Tinkering Studio gallery through June.
