Emetts on the Move

It has been one of the more surreal couple of days. When you find yourself at eight o'clock in the morning standing in the sleet and rain watching three pantechnicons worth of Emetts arriving at their temporary home you do start to wonder what brought you to this point.

It is not a process that can ever run completely smoothly. Getting storage crates that are 2700mm high through a door opening only 2701mm high is not without its excitements. And finding space for everything can be tricky when it is not only volume but also access to the available space that creates problems. But, after all that, they have been successfully stored close to Birmingham ready to be installed in the Museum and Art Gallery at the end of April and we can now focus on promoting the exhibition.

The Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery has produced its first flyer to be distributed in time for the school half-term holidays in mid-February and we are busily grabbing opportunities to spread the word. This is, after all, a once-only opportunity to see as many of his works in one place and it would be a shame to miss it.

Pussiewillow I

We now know where many of the photographs of HMS Pussiewillow I were taken. It appears that it stood for a while in the Marshal Field's State Street store in Chicago. It was part of a 'British Showcase' held in the store to mark the Silver Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II in September 1977. The Featherstone Kite and the Exploratory Lunacycle were also on display but the Pussiewillow was supposed to be there for 'an indefinite period'.

We still have no idea what the eventual fate of this machine was but the possibility that it was rebuilt into Pussiewillow III is always there.

Building the Rhythmical Time Fountain

If you are going to dismantle an Emett for restoration what better than a series of photographs of the machine in its component parts in Emett's workshop?

In mid-February we will be carefully taking the clock apart and recording everything so that it can be re-assembled correctly at Millenium Point in Birmingham and then back at the Victoria Centre in Nottingham. That task will be greatly assisted by a series of photographs taken in the Blacksmith's Forge at Streat where Emett built all of his machines. The first photograph shows the Sunflower assembly, about the largest single piece that his workshop was big enough to accommodate. These colour photographs will also be of great assistance in returning the clock to its original colour scheme.

Many of the bright metal parts on the clock are now in need of attention. The Bouquet in the centre has lost its lustre but will be returned to its original sparkling condition as Emett intended. 

The main structure was originally a muted green colour. During restoration we hope to find parts of the original paint finish for colour matching.

The Cobweb Waterwheel has suffered due to constant exposure to water. This will be carefully taken back to the metal and given a waterproof treatment that will help it to survive another 40 years.

The Radial Arms below the clock were originally a gold colour. Here they can be seen on the lawn outside the workshop where large machine parts could be displayed to clients as work progressed. When the owners of the Victoria Centre went to see work in progress Emett had the machine laid out in 25 separate parts. They had to imagine how it would look when assembled - as did Emett! 

The Sunflower Stage where the orchestra revolve and dance has a brass cover plate in need of attention. This is the structure supporting the Sunflower. 

As restoration work progresses we too will be keeping a photographic record.

HMS Pussiewillow I

A little bit more information has come to light about the mystery machine. Here it is at the Eaton Centre in Toronto, Canada. It is pictured in the escalator well but the newspaper article in which the picture appears is light on detail. We do not even have the date of it but would guess it is early eighties or possibly late seventies.

If you recognize it, please let us know.

Just Keep Digging

Research for the exhibition, and forthcoming biography, continues apace. Mary Emett's filing cabinet has had an initial scan and turned up a wealth of images and information. We now have good, clear pictures of many of the machines including some that no longer exist. We have negatives of drawings of some of the machines both as they were finally built and in earlier forms. We also have pictures of a machine that we didn't know existed!

We had a suspicion, of course. The clues were in the titles of two of his later machines. The SS Pussiewillow II in the Air and Space Museum in Washington and the CC Pussiwillow III. The natural question was; what about Pussiewillow I? Emett, of course, was not averse to assigning 'Things' numbers alluding to an earlier work that had never been built. The Featherstone Kites are all Mk.II. All three of them. The Mk.I was described but never built.

We hadn't yet come across anything to explain the absence of Pussiewillow I and now we know why. There is, or at least was, one. But here the mystery deepens. It is labelled as HMS Pussiewillow I and there is some indication that it may have been in Chicago at some point. The photographs mostly show it in the same unidentified, collonaded public space forming the backdrop to a fashion show. One photograph appears to show someone in British Mayoral robes and some have a Canadian Studio's name printed on the back. One shot shows it as the centrepiece to some sort of 'British' trad

e promotion with Union Jacks very much in evidence. This doesn't make it easy to locate and we have not yet found any reference to it in the media archives. Strange.

If you have any information about it please contact the Society.

A trip to the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery archives has turned up a collection of black and white photographs of some very early Emett paintings.

The ten images are a still life, and a series of oils and watercolours of landscapes in Scotland, Wales, the south-west of England and the countryside nearest to his home which at that time was in Alum Rock in Birmingham. The dates on the images indicate that they were painted around 1930 and, at long last, we now know what the 'Cornish Harbour' looked like. This was the painting that was 'hung on the line' at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition in 1931. It has been referred to often in brief biographies but  ow we have an image. The mystery here is, why does BMAG have these photographs?

Testing the Ziff Collection

We have made an inspection of the Ziff Collection of Emett machines that will be appearing at the Birmingham Exhibition. 

We have carried out a PAT test on each of the machines and inspected the wiring and they all appear to be in good condition. Not the result we were expecting, considering that the machines have been in storage for the last 25 years, but very encouraging.

It appears that the machines have been rewired at some stage and the only elements needing attention are three lamps that need replacing. Everything else appears to be in full working order.

There are, understandably, a few squeaks. We have identified the source of them and can generally be cured by a little lubrication though one of the cam wheels on the Fairway Birdie may need a little attention.

The thing that does strike home when carrying out an inspection of this nature is just how remarkable the machines are. They are mostly over forty years old and have primitive bearings but they just keep working.

Emettland

We are currently editing some fascinating footage of one of Emett's earliest 'Things' to show at the Birmingham exhibition. This one is Emettland and whereas it is full of humour it does have its dark side. 

This is a short snippet of one of the darker corners, in which straying engines are 'pixilated' by Emily Screech the resident witch of 'Witches Hollow'.

Water Clock Progress Report

The Water Clock in close-up.

Six o'clock this evening saw us standing where the water normally is, at the base of Emett's clock in the Victoria Centre. 

Having now had the opportunity to inspect the clock at close quarters it looks to be a relatively simple process to dismantle it. But then Emett originally built it in his forge at Streat in Surrey and would have been mindful of avoiding problems in assembling, and therefore disassembling it. 

The base of the structure.

The only big unknown at this stage is the method of fixing at the base of the tubular steel structure. We can guess, but we will not know until the slabs that overlay the fixings are lifted to reveal them. An exploratory 'dig' will take place in the coming two weeks to find out the truth. At that stage the condition of the bases of the feet should also become apparent and whether any strengthening of the structure will be needed as part of the restoration.

The structure appears to come apart in sections but the first thing to be removed will be the delicate outer petals of the copper sunflower. This will avoid any further damage to them whilst taking down the upper sections.  After removing the petals and bagging and labeling we shall remove the clock faces. This should be straightforward so long as we have the right size spanners. We will have a selection of imperial sized spanners, just in case.                  

After the clock the next element will be the three booms that rotate around the tower section and support the birds and gondolas. These are a simple bolt connection. The upper parts of the tower will come down in two sections, mindful of the drive shafts for the clock and the booms that thread their way up through the structure.The most difficult part will be to remove the body of the sunflower. But then it will be plain sailing. The cobweb water wheel will come off in one piece as will the bouquet leaving the control box to be un-threaded from within the main structure. 

Corroded butterfly with missing jewels.

The main tubular steel frame has been damaged by forty years of exposure to chlorinated water but it is the 'bright' parts that have suffered the most now sporting an incrustation of corrosion salts. The copper and brass has lost its sparkle a long time ago but the trickiest part to replace may be the 'jewels' in the wings of the butterflies. Many of these have dropped out over the years so we will need to source replacements and make sure that they have a secure fixing.

The water wheel bearing.

A modification that has been made at some time is the removal of the drive shaft that turns the water wheel. When Emett built the clock the 'cobweb' water wheel had a chain drive from a gear wheel on a shaft driven by a motor in the central control box. The hole is clearly visible where the shaft used to project but that is all that is left. The wheel is now turned by the power of the water. Not ideal as this has thrown more water around than designed for adding to the corrosion.

Plastic cups.

To offer some degree of protection to the flowers around the edge of the water wheel and to catch the water  a series of plastic cups have been fixed into each flower. Those are coming out.

The base of the bouquet.

Nowhere is the poor condition of the metalwork more apparent than on the bouquet in the centre. This was originally intended to spot water and the copper was supposed to sparkle. Neither of these things currently happen.

When we start to dismantle in mid February we will film the process with time lapse cameras and, if everything goes to plan, will post the results here and on the Rowland Emett Society website. There is a lot of work to do before the water clock goes back on public display. We have till May!

Emett Ale

Plans are in hand for producing a real ale to mark the launch of the Birmingham exhibition. 

Mark Arnott-Job at the Two Towers Brewery in Hockley, Birmingham is about to start work on an Emett Ale to be called 'Far Tottering'. This will be available in bottles and on draught to promote the Exhibition. 

We are also looking at the possibility of an 'Oyster Creek' white wine for those that don't drink ale.

The Nottingham Water Clock

The Nottingham Water Clock, otherwise known as the Horological Tintinnabulator is shortly going to be restored to as close to its original state as possible.

Having stood in the Victoria Centre for over 40 years it has undergone a few changes. The 'flower stalk' fountain heads have been removed and the original colour scheme has been neutralised down to magnolia. It has suffered from the effects of coins bouncing off its structure but, remarkably, has managed to avoid vandalism. This is part of the magic of Emett's work, people respect it.

In the middle of January we will be inspecting the clock to assess the best way to dismantle it ready to transport to our workshop. We then anticipate actually making the move at the end of the month.

Once restored the clock will, temporarily, be on display at the Emett Exhibition being staged by the Society in partnership with the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery whilst its new home in the Victoria Centre is prepared.

We will be blogging about the clock's progress over the coming months.

A New Blog

Hi. And welcome to the new blog of the Rowland Emett Society.

This is going to be an exciting year for us with the biggest ever exhibition of Emett's work due to open in mid-May.

We will be keeping everyone up to date with progress here, so watch this space.