The Gossifer Aquatic Cleansing Machine unveiled in Newbury

N2’s favourite sculptor of whimsy Nigel Williams has a new piece: ‘... held together with approximately 100 bolts externally, each one of which was individually polished. There is a larger number out-of-sight inside (not polished!)’

LOCAL sculptor and all-round madcap inventor Nigel Williams has come up with his latest labour-saving device...

“You might know that the Victorians were potty about aquariums, treating them like we do TV,” he explains.

“Continuing my theme of improving the lot of the Victorian/Edwardian gentleman, I figured that it would be excellent to further reduce the need for the usual expensive servants, and have an appliance adept at keeping your aquarium clean for you. And here it is: The Gossifer Aquatic Cleansing Machine.

“Hope you like it!”

Constructed with brass, copper, wood, grease guns, shell cases, opera-glass lenses, musical instrument parts, taps and more, it will be getting its first formal outing at the Crafts Alive exhibition by the Gloucestershire Guild of Craftsmen, of which he is a member, at the fabulous Arts & Crafts Movement mansion at Rodmarton Manor near Cirencester in September.

“It’ll wizz about your aquarium all day, keeping it completely clean without any attention whatsoever, ingesting all the undesirable bits through its many suction funnels and filters (even using that as fuel, along with the plankton it sucks in through the multiple pipes in its mouth).

“And woe betide any real fish that get in its way!”

This piece is named after Philip Henry Gosse (1810-1888), who first coined the now familiar term ‘aquarium’, in his 1854 book The aquarium: An unveiling of the wonders of the deep sea.

It comes with its own ‘aquarium’ for display (completely watertight, honest guv). And it’s guaranteed never to bite your fingers off – as long as you keep them out of the aquarium!

Nigel, pictured in his studio, shows more of his work and shares the inner workings of his mind at www.orlogikstudio.com

http://www.orlogikstudio.com/060-2305scuGossifer.shtml