In the unassuming town of Papatowai, New Zealand, Blair Somerville has amassed one of the world’s most idiosyncratic collections and, with it, a life that’s entirely his own. A prolific tinkerer, Somerville has transformed a modest property into The Lost Gypsy Gallery, a panoply of objects, once junk, metamorphosed into whimsical, mechanically operated exhibitions. Like Somerville’s own bare-bones, solar-powered lifestyle, the collection is endearingly unusual, constructed from simple parts and built entirely from the ground up.
Rustic automata – a world built out of spare parts powered by solar energy
Director: Joey Bania
10 November 2015
videoDesign and fashion
Beyond fortune-telling – the enduring beauty and allure of tarot
16 minutes
videoWar and peace
The extraordinary craft and fascinating symbolism of a pre-Incan ceremonial shield
3 minutes
videoMaking
On the Norwegian coast, a tree is transformed into a boat the old-fashioned way
6 minutes
videoNature and landscape
California’s landscapes provide endless inspiration for a woodcut printmaker
10 minutes
videoDesign and fashion
A ceramicist puts her own bawdy spin on the folk language of pottery
14 minutes
videoHome
How an artist transformed a dilapidated hunting lodge into a house made of dreams
8 minutes
videoHistory of technology
Replicating Shakespearean-era printing brings its own dramas and comedy
19 minutes
videoMaking
Forging a cello from pieces of wood demands its own form of virtuosity
27 minutes
videoInformation and communication
An animation built from road signs is a whirlwind study of flash communication
2 minutes