Stroud’s Museum in the Park exhibition celebrating the wit and wonder of Robert Race’s toys and automata has already drawn hundreds of visitors on the opening weekend. Hand made from recycled materials, the eclectic mix of moving and humorous creations delight across age groups and interests.
Running until Sunday March 8th, ‘Robert Race – A Moveable Refreshment – Works Old and New’ showcases Robert’s ingenious inventions which combine humour, fascination and a delight in re-purposing discarded objects and found, recycled and natural materials.
Robert has been a full-time toymaker for more than 30 years. Starting with dolls’ houses and miniature furniture he has subsequently concentrated on moving toys and simple automata, which have been widely exhibited in Britain, Europe and beyond. His work is represented in the collections of the Museum of Childhood, Bethnal Green, London, Japan Museum of Contemporary Toy, Okayama, and the Arts Council (Southeast) Craft Collection.
Commissions have included exhibition design for Transformations-the Art of Recycling at the Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford (March 2000-Sept 2002), a collection of Victorian optical toys for Sutton House, Hackney (National Trust), and mechanical donation boxes for Black Swan Arts, Frome; Salisbury Playhouse; Victoria Art Gallery, Bath; and Dorset County Hospital, Dorchester.
Drawing on his previous experience – teaching science and running a teachers’ centre – Robert still occasionally works with adults and children, using his own work and a collection of moving toys from around the world as a resource for education. He has written two books, ‘Making Simple Automata’, and ‘Making Moving Toys and Automata’, both published by The Crowood Press.
There will be drop in half term activities for families inspired by the exhibition.
Pictures by Simon Pizzey
