Noctuidae
Automatus
Fictitia

Robo-bug

I saw some sock clips on my bed one day and though: “hey those look like wings”. I then proceeded to design a world full of robotic insects! This world existed long ago and the art of autonomous insect creation had since been lost. The piece was designed as a sort of archaeological find from that imaginary long lost time. Perhaps some old professor might have this hanging in his Victorian study. Perhaps it still works!

This was a surprisingly challenging build for nothing simpler then figuring out how to stick vastly different materials together. No one adhesive or technique would work in all cases. This resulted in a lot of testing and trial and error (and some really messy failures).

There was also the problem of how to hold all the bits in alignment. I ended up building a skeleton out of copper wire and soldering it together. Then used various adhesives to bond the parts onto that.

For the shadow box, I used an off the shelf frame and built an enclosed back for it. This was then affixed with custom metal brackets. The inside was veneered with teak and the back lined with faux suede. The bug was affixed to the removable backing board with small loops of copper wire.

Parts used in construction

base coat of paint

Testing backing material