Robot Invasion!

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CHRIS McEwan’s collection of robots, dating from the early 1950s, encompasses everything from early Japanese tinplate toys to iconic stars of stage and screen such as Robby, who made his debut in the 1956 science fiction film Forbidden Planet; K-9, Doctor Who’s loyal robotic pooch; and that fussy protocol droid C-3PO from Star Wars.

And now we can enjoy them first hand because he has loaned more than 200 robots and space toys, as well as artwork inspired by his collection, to Hove Museum and Art Gallery for an exhibition called Robot Invasion.

Chris’s fascination with robots dates back to his days at the Royal College of Art in the early Seventies. One of the perks of being a student at this prestigious institution was being granted free and unlimited access to the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. And it was while roaming its galleries that he first encountered Eduardo Paolozzi’s prints exploring the human machine, as well as Jacob Epstein’s haunting Vorticist sculpture The Rock Drill, depicting a threatening robotic being that expressed both the exhilaration of the modern world and its potential for devastation.

Gradually, Chris began amassing his own robot collection, largely attracted by their sculptural appeal. “I’ve always been drawn to the graphic quality of robots and the decorative details of their surface designs have often acted as a starting point for my own abstract images,” he says.

“Robots are also highly original and exude great personality. When you saw Robby on screen, he couldn’t walk, could barely talk and destroyed the furniture if he moved, but he charmed the pants off you – and still does. And it’s the same when people view this exhibition. They think they know their robots, having relegated them to the status of children’s toys. But viewing this collection, they’re overcome by a child-like sense of wonder.”

The word robot or ‘roboti’, meaning labour or work, was coined by the Czech playwright Karel Capek in 1921. But our fascination with automata dates back to Ancient China, Greece and Egypt when pioneering engineers and inventors attempted to build self-operating machines, some resembling humans and animals.

In the 1950s, the rediscovery of Leonardo da Vinci’s 1495 notebooks revealed that he had also created detailed drawings of a mechanical knight, now dubbed Leonardo’s robot, which was able to sit up, wave its arms and move its head.

But toy robots first caught on after the Second World War when Japanese manufacturers, keen to flex their muscles after the ravages of wartime, began producing and exporting them in vast numbers, capitalising on the growing interest in science fiction fuelled by popular American series such as Flash Gordon.

Harnessing battery technology, Japanese toy robots had a distinct edge over their western counterparts, with moving joints, flashing lights and gunfire. Now vintage tinplate robots fetch high prices at auction and eBay even has a specialist section for them.

Nevertheless, Chris isn’t remotely precious about his own collection, cheerfully admitting that ‘true’ collectors keep their robots carefully boxed. “None cost vast sums and most were salvaged from junk shops or donated by friends, relatives or former students who I’ve taught at Brighton Art College (now the University of Brighton),” he says.

“But not any old robot is allowed into my home. It has to have visual appeal. And this exhibition, grouped and selected aesthetically, reflects that. The point is to cover the fun, randomness and fascination of robots.”

• Robot Invasion runs at Hove Museum and Art Gallery until February 21. Visit www.brighton-hove-rpml.org.uk for further information.
•  You can view Chris McEwan’s artwork and purchase his prints at the Hove Museum shop or via www.lawsonmcewan.com

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